Alphadots
Bloomberg's daily word puzzle: read the clue, read the chart, find the phrase.
Every day: One word puzzle a day: a written clue and a chart that plots the letters of the hidden answer. New puzzle: Midnight US Eastern Time.
Alphadots is a daily word puzzle from Bloomberg. Each puzzle pairs a short written clue with a chart in which every letter of the answer is a dot placed between A at the top and Z at the bottom. You use both to work out the hidden word or phrase, as fast as you can.
About Alphadots
Alphadots is the daily word game Bloomberg released on 29 September 2025. Bloomberg describes it as a word puzzle with a plot twist: each day there is a single puzzle that mixes wordplay with a graphical clue, and the puzzles touch on business, politics and culture.
The puzzle has two parts. At the top is a written clue, in the style of a crossword clue. Below it is a chart. Each letter of the answer is drawn as a dot, and the height of the dot shows where that letter falls in the alphabet, with A at the top of the chart and Z at the bottom. The dots are joined by a line, so the chart looks like a small line graph of the answer. Under the chart are blanks, one for each letter.
In Bloomberg's own example, the clue is "Liquid asset?" and the chart has three dots. The first sits low, around O, the second high, the third a little lower. If you are stuck you can plot a letter you suspect is in the answer, and the chart shows where it lands. Here O fits the first dot, and with the clue that points to OIL. When you think you have it, you fill in the remaining letters and submit.
The aim is to reach the answer as quickly as possible. A new puzzle comes out every day at 12:00am Eastern Time. Playing is free for everyone. Bloomberg subscribers can also open the archive of past puzzles and use tools that track their results over time.
The concept was created by crossword constructor Jeff Chen, and the game was designed and developed by Bloomberg. It followed Pointed, Bloomberg's news quiz, which came out earlier in 2025.
How to play Alphadots
- Read the written clue at the top of the puzzle.
- Look at the chart: each dot is one letter, placed by its position in the alphabet, with A at the top and Z at the bottom.
- If you are stuck, plot a letter you think is in the answer to see where it falls on the chart.
- Fill in the remaining letters and submit when you think you have the answer.
- Try to solve it as quickly as you can.
Screenshots
Tips
- Start from the dots near the top or bottom of the chart; letters close to A or Z are easier to pin down.
- Count the blanks under the chart before you read the clue too literally.
- Treat the clue like a crossword clue: a question mark often means a pun.
Questions
When is there a new Alphadots puzzle?
Every day at 12:00am Eastern Time.
Is Alphadots free?
Yes, the daily puzzle is free. Bloomberg subscribers also get the archive of past puzzles and stats tracking.
Who made Alphadots?
The concept is by crossword constructor Jeff Chen; Bloomberg designed and developed the game.
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