Betweenle
Find the day's word by squeezing it between others in alphabetical order.
Every day: One secret five-letter word a day, the same for everyone, found by narrowing an alphabetical range with each guess. New puzzle: Midnight in your local time zone.
Betweenle hides a five-letter word somewhere in an alphabetical dictionary. Each guess tells you whether the answer comes before or after it, so the range of possible words shrinks between a top and a bottom word until you land on it. There is one daily word, plus custom words to send to friends.
About Betweenle
Betweenle plays like a game of higher or lower with the dictionary. The screen shows a top word and a bottom word with a gap between them, and the secret word sits somewhere in that gap in alphabetical order. You type any valid five-letter word that also fits in the gap. If the answer comes after it, your guess becomes the new top; if before, the new bottom. On the web you have 12 guesses to close the range.
Two extra signals help. An orange dot shows whether the answer is closer to the top word or the bottom word, and a number gives the distance as a percentage of the whole dictionary. Used well, they let you jump much closer than a plain halving would. Your score and streak are kept, and a share button posts your result.
The daily word turns over at midnight in your own time zone, and the web version counts its puzzles from March 2023. Betweenle is made by Nebula Bytes, with apps for Android and iPhone that add an unlimited mode and practice. On the web you can also make a custom word and send the link to a friend. It suits players who like a puzzle about spelling and order more than letter colours.
How to play Betweenle
- Look at the top and bottom words; the secret word lies between them in alphabetical order.
- Enter any valid five-letter word that fits between them.
- If the secret word comes after your guess, it moves up to become the new top word; if before, it becomes the new bottom word.
- Read the orange dot and the percentage to judge which bound the answer is nearer.
- Keep narrowing the range until you guess the word, within 12 tries on the web.
Screenshots
Tips
- Use the percentage, not just the halfway point: if the answer is very close to one bound, guess near that bound.
- Think in letter positions: once the first two letters are fixed, work on the third.
- Keep a few common five-letter words in mind for each starting letter so you can place guesses quickly.
- Remember the range is alphabetical, not by meaning; a guess only needs to be a real word in the right spot.
Questions
How many guesses do I get?
12 on the website. The App Store listing says 14 in the app.
When does the daily word change?
At midnight in your own time zone; a countdown on the menu shows the time left.
What does the orange dot mean?
It shows whether the secret word is closer to the top word or the bottom word, and the number beside it is the distance as a percentage of the dictionary.
Can I play more than one word a day?
The apps have an unlimited mode, and on the web you can make or play custom words shared by friends.
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