Code Cracker (NZ Herald)

About Code Cracker (NZ Herald)

Code Cracker is one of the daily puzzles on the NZ Herald's Puzzles and games page. It is a codeword: a crossword-style grid with no clues, where every square holds a number and each number always stands for the same letter. The page says new puzzles are published every day of the week, and the player shows today's puzzle along with the previous six days.

The puzzles come from Lovatts Publishing Group, and the player is served by Puzzle Experts. A couple of letters are given at the start. From there you look for word patterns, such as repeated numbers or common endings, and each letter you place fills in everywhere that number appears. When the grid is complete, a row of numbered squares spells the day's mystery answer.

The page is marked as Premium content, so you need an NZ Herald Premium subscription to play.

It suits codeword and cryptogram fans, and crossword solvers who enjoy pattern spotting more than clues.

How to play Code Cracker (NZ Herald)

1. Open Code Cracker on the NZ Herald site (Premium subscription needed) and pick today's puzzle.
2. Start with the letters given: they fill in every square with their number.
3. Look for word patterns, then click a square and type the letter you think matches its number.
4. Complete the grid; the numbered strip at the top spells the mystery answer.

Tips

• Look for short words and common endings such as -ING and -ED.
• E, A and S are the most common letters in English, so the most frequent numbers often stand for them.
• Only dictionary words are used, never proper nouns, in the grid itself.

Questions