The Times Codeword

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Crack the number-for-letter code in The Times daily codeword.

on thetimes.com

The Times Codeword No 5422 in play on the web: a numbered grid with a few letters filled in, the 26-box letter key below and an A to Z keyboard beside it

The Times Codeword is a crossword grid with no clues: every letter is replaced by a number from 1 to 26, and you work out which letter each number stands for. A new numbered grid appears every day, with an Extra Codeword on weekdays. It needs a Times subscription.

About The Times Codeword

A codeword looks like a crossword with every square filled, except that the squares hold numbers instead of letters. Each number stands for one letter of the alphabet, the same letter wherever it appears, and all 26 letters are used. A few letters are given at the start to get you going. From there it is pattern spotting: a three-letter word ending in a known E might be THE, a doubled number in the middle of a word might be SS or LL, and every letter you place fills in all the squares with that number.

The Times runs its Codeword every day on its puzzles site and app. The weekday puzzles carry a running number, past 5,900 by autumn 2026, so the series has a long history. Most weekdays also bring an Extra Codeword for a second grid, and on Sundays the puzzle comes from The Sunday Times with its own numbering.

The puzzle list on the Times site keeps recent days by date, so a missed grid can be caught up. Access needs a Times subscription, either a Puzzles subscription or full digital access.

Codewords need no general knowledge and no clue-reading, which makes them a good fit for solvers who like logic and word shapes more than trivia.

How to play The Times Codeword

Open the day's Codeword on The Times puzzles page or app.
Look at the letters given at the start and fill them in wherever their numbers appear.
Find words in the grid where the known letters leave only one possible word.
Place each new letter you deduce; it fills every square with the same number.
Keep a note of which letters of the alphabet are used, since each number is a different letter.
Finish when every number has its letter and every word in the grid is real.

Tips

Start with short words that contain a given letter; three- and four-letter words have the fewest options.
Watch for common endings such as -ING, -ED and -TION, which show up as repeated number patterns.
Rare letters like J, Q, X and Z often appear only once or twice; their numbers are worth finding early.
Use the alphabet tracker to rule out letters you have already placed.

Questions

Do I need a subscription to play The Times Codeword?

Yes. The Times puts its puzzles behind a subscription, either a Puzzles subscription or full digital access.

How does a codeword work?

Every letter in the grid is replaced by a number, the same number for the same letter throughout. You work out the code from a few starting letters and the shapes of the words.

Is there more than one Codeword a day?

On weekdays The Times usually adds an Extra Codeword next to the main one.

Can I play older Codewords?

Yes. The Times puzzles page lists recent puzzles by date.