The rules
Guess. Pull in.
Find a hidden five-letter word by shrinking its place in the dictionary. You are sorting, not spelling.
Play in three moves
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Read the range
The hidden word comes alphabetically after the left boundary and before the right boundary.
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Guess inside it
Enter any recognized five-letter word that belongs between those boundaries. Invalid, repeated, and out-of-range attempts do not count. Every accepted guess does, including the answer.
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Keep the right side
Wordhump tells you whether the answer comes before or after your guess, then pulls that boundary in to your guess. It also shows how many valid guesses are still inside the range. A small hump in the range line shows whether the hidden word sits broadly nearer the left boundary, the middle, or the right boundary—it is not the answer's exact spot. Keep narrowing the range until you find it.
Example
Guess horse
Suppose the answer is between CABLE and MELON. Guess HORSE to find out which side of it holds the answer.
If the hidden word comes after HORSE, the range pulls in to HORSE and becomes HORSE to MELON. The remaining count tells you how much search space is left. The hump snaps to one of five broad zones without revealing the answer's exact position. Small folds under each end and struck-through words remember your earlier guesses and show which side each one ruled out. The meaning of the words does not matter—only their dictionary order.
When you get stuck
Open Suggest a guess for a word to try. A suggestion is never presented as the hidden word. Looking is free; the Daily is marked Assisted only if you actually use the suggested word.
There is no timer and no permanent lockout. Each guess helps you narrow the range until you find the hidden word. Afterward, keep playing unscored bonus puzzles for as long as you like.