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5 common mistakes that keep the lock shut

Most failed attempts don't come from hard puzzles but from a few habits. Fix these five and you'll solve more codes on the first try.

1. Forgetting that digits never repeat

A code never uses the same digit twice. If a digit is confirmed in one spot, cross it out everywhere else, and never type a guess like 445.

2. Leaving a “wrongly placed” digit where it is

“Correct but wrongly placed” tells you two things: the digit is in the code, and it is not in the spot where the clue shows it. Many players only use the first half.

3. Skipping “nothing is correct”

This clue removes up to three or four digits at once. Read it first, cross those digits out in every other clue, and the rest gets much simpler.

1. 738: nothing is correct, so 7, 3 and 8 are out.
2. 870: 8 and 7 are out, so the correct digit is 0, and it is not in the last spot.
3. 206: 0 is in, but not in the middle spot either. The only place left for 0 is the first spot.

4. Hunting for “the” answer

You don't have to find the exact code the game had in mind: any code that fits every clue wins. Once your guess matches all the clues, enter it.

5. Reaching for a hint too early

A hint fills in the selected cell, but it costs an ad or 100 points and takes 200 points off that game's score. Try one full pass over the clues first; most stuck moments come from mistake 2 or 3.

Put it into practice

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