Pocket Games
Mathle
Six squares, an equation to guess, six tries. Every guess has to be arithmetic that actually works: you can write 4×7=28, you cannot write 4×7=29. The colours tell you which digits and operators are in the right place, exactly like Wordle.
How it works
You have to guess a correct equation in six tries. Every guess must itself be a valid equation: what is written to the right of the equals sign has to be the real result of what is on the left. If it does not add up, the game will not let you submit — which is help, not a limitation.
After each try the colours speak, as in Wordle:
- Green: that symbol — digit or operator — is in the right place.
- Yellow: it is in the equation, but somewhere else.
- Grey: it is not there at all.
The three difficulties change the length and the tools in play:
- Easy: 6 squares, numbers up to two digits, only + - ×.
- Medium: 8 squares, numbers up to three digits, division joins in.
- Hard: 10 squares, three digits, division and squares.
Each difficulty keeps its own record: the fewest tries you have closed a game in.
Strategy
The first equation is for covering symbols, not for guessing. The Wordle rule applies: start with digits that differ from each other and at least two operators. An opener like 12+34=46 puts five different digits and an operator into play in one go (on Easy, which has six squares, the equivalent is something like 4×7=28).
Change operator on your second try. Knowing whether the equation contains a multiplication or a subtraction narrows the field more than any digit: there are few operators, so each one is an enormous piece of information.
Use arithmetic to eliminate. This is the advantage Wordle does not have. If you know the result ends in 4 and there is a multiplication, the possible digits on the left collapse on their own: no multiplication of numbers ending in 5 gives a result ending in 4. Every green on the result side is worth double.
Count the squares. The number of squares is fixed, and on its own it rules out almost every possible shape. Six squares only fit equations like 12-7=5, 8+9=17 or 4×7=28: as soon as you find where the equals sign is, you know how many digits are on the right and how much room is left on the left, operator included.
Repeated digits are common. Unlike words, equations repeat digits constantly. A grey on a digit is therefore much more informative than a grey on a letter in Wordle: it removes that symbol from every position.
Common mistakes
- Trying round equations. 10+10=20 uses three different symbols in six squares: it is almost a wasted try.
- Sticking with the same shape. If two tries with addition produce no green on the operator, the operator is something else: changing it costs one try and saves three.
- Forgetting the equals sign has a position. The = is a symbol in a square too, and where it sits tells you how many digits are on each side.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to do mental arithmetic?
Only addition, subtraction and times tables. Medium introduces division, but always with whole-number results.
Can I enter a wrong equation to probe for digits?
No: the game only accepts correct equations. That is the rule that makes Mathle different from a plain digit-guessing game.
How many tries do I get?
Six, like Wordle, at all three difficulties.
Why does hard have squares?
Because with ten squares the four basic operations alone would make the equations too predictable. Squares add another structure to work out.
More games to try
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