The Daily Spell
Rate itDrop each column's letters into place to reveal the next part of a story, one puzzle a day.
on the-daily-spell.com
The Daily Spell is a daily drop quote puzzle styled as a newspaper. Each column of the grid has a set of letters that belong somewhere in it, and you place them to spell out a hidden sentence. The solved sentences add up to a serial story, one instalment a day.
About The Daily Spell
The Daily Spell is a word puzzle with a story attached. Every day you get a drop quote grid: a block of squares with gaps between words, and above each column a few letters that belong in that column. Placing them correctly spells out a passage of text, and each day's passage continues the story from the day before.
The game is made by Jamwitch, with puzzles and writing by Celia Bayliss and contributions from several guest writers. Volume 1, The Yliad Arc, ran daily from November 2025 to March 2026 as an original fantasy told through headlines from a magical newspaper, and it can now be played through from the archive. Volume 2 is serializing Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest, a day at a time.
To play, you click a square and then click a letter from that same column to drop it in; the selection moves on as you go, and clicking a letter twice removes it. Helper buttons let you reveal letters if you are stuck, and a new puzzle arrives at midnight New York time. Once the grid is solved, the text appears as a newspaper article or a scene of the play.
Because each answer is a sentence from a continuing story, context from earlier days helps, and the archive has a search for names and terms from past articles. It suits fans of cryptograms and drop quotes, and readers who enjoy a serial.
How to play The Daily Spell
- Look at the grid and the letters waiting above each column.
- Click a square, then click a letter from the same column to drop it in.
- Use the word lengths and black gaps to guess common short words first.
- Keep placing letters until the whole sentence reads correctly.
- Read the revealed instalment of the story, and come back tomorrow for the next one.
Tips
- Fill in one- and two-letter words first, since they have very few options.
- Remember the story so far: names and places from earlier instalments often reappear.
- The archive search can remind you how a character's name is spelled.
Questions
Is the puzzle the same for everyone?
Yes. There is one puzzle per date, and it changes at midnight New York time.
What is a drop quote?
A grid where the letters for each column are given out of order; you drop them into the right rows to spell a hidden passage.
Can I play the older story?
Yes. Volume 1, The Yliad Arc, is finished and fully playable, and past days of Volume 2 are in the archive.
Is it free?
Yes, it plays in the browser. Bonus puzzles come with a free newsletter sign-up.
Ratings and reviews
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