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Trace (Daily Mail)

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Trace the hidden word and fill every tile: one path, one word, against the clock.

Play Trace (Daily Mail)

on dailymail.com

Daily Mail Trace for 7 October 2026 in play: a 5 by 5 grid with the letters N, R, D, E, I and V and walls, a seven-letter word starting with D to trace through every tile, and Clear and Hint buttons

Trace is a daily path puzzle on Daily Mail Games, built by Puzzlr. A small grid holds the letters of a hidden word, scattered among empty tiles and walls. You draw one continuous path that passes the letters in the right order, spells the word, ends on its last letter and covers every tile. The game times you, and the tagline asks: can you beat the clock?

About Trace (Daily Mail)

Trace mixes a word puzzle with a one-line drawing puzzle. Each day's grid, six tiles by six on 3 October 2026, has a few letters sitting in it, with walls between some tiles. Together the letters spell a hidden word, but they are out of order on the board.

You find the word by drawing a path. Starting from a letter, you trace through neighbouring tiles, and the letters you pass, in order, must spell the hidden word. Walls block the way. The game's rules are short: the path must end on the correct letter and fill every tile on the grid. If you stop early it tells you to fill every tile, if the letters come out wrong it says that is not the correct word, and if your path ends on an empty tile it says you must finish on a letter. A hint button helps if you are stuck, and Clear wipes the path.

The game shows a timer, and the share line reads I solved today's Trace in a given time with a number of hints. A new grid comes out each day at midnight UK time. Trace is one of the free puzzles on Daily Mail Games, made with Puzzlr, alongside Relink, Colour Connect and Sandwich.

How to play Trace (Daily Mail)

  1. Look at today's grid: the letters of a hidden word are scattered among empty tiles and walls.
  2. Work out the word, then draw one path from tile to tile that passes its letters in order.
  3. Avoid walls, cover every tile, and end the path on the word's last letter.
  4. Use Hint if you are stuck; solve it as fast as you can and share your time.

Screenshots

The Trace start screen for Saturday, October 3rd, 2026: the game's winding-path logo, the name Trace, Can you beat the clock? and a Play button

Tips

  • Tiles in corners or boxed in by walls leave few ways through; plan the path around them first.
  • The last letter of the word has to be where the path ends.
  • Try anagramming the letters before you draw.

Questions

What are the rules of Trace?

Draw one path that spells the hidden word in order, fills every tile and finishes on a letter.

When is there a new Trace?

Every day at midnight UK time.

Is Trace free?

Yes, it is one of the free games on Daily Mail Games.

Ratings and reviews

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