Speed Nerdle makes a tough game even harder: Solve maths puzzles against the clock

Popular Wordle spinoff Nerdle has launched a speedy new variant. Nerdle challenges players to identify a maths equation in six attempts. Similar to Wordle, you need to pay attention to the colour of the tiles after making a guess. The newly released Speed Nerdle variant adds a timer into the mix, meaning you’re not just trying to solve the puzzle in as few guesses as possible, but also in the fastest time. Speed Nerdle also begins with the first line filled in, which will eliminate lucky first moves.

Nerdle creator Richard Mann explains more: “The rules are the same as the classic nerdle, with the added challenge that players need to complete it as quickly as possible – a timer that appears in the middle of the screen to keep track.

“The timed element means a completely different strategy is required and you have to think fast. Also, the first line is pre-filled, creating a level playing field by eliminating lucky first moves.

“While other versions of nerdle let you boast your score on the basis of attempts you made, speed Nerdle states the time you took to complete the puzzle as part of your score when you share it.”

If that wasn’t hard enough, Speed Nerdle also introduces time penaltes on certain rows. You’ll get a ten second penalty when you reach the fourth row, a 20 second penalty for the fifth row, and a 30 second penalty for the sixth row.

Mann believes that three minutes is a good score to aim for, while anything below three minutes is exceptional.

Speed Nerdle is one of fiver iterations of the Wordle spinoff. There’s classic Nerdle, Instant Nerdle, Pro Nerdle and Mini Nerdle.

Instant Nerdle is a fun variant, challenging players to solve the puzzle in just one attempt. You start with all of the correct letters and symbols, just not in the right order.

Mini Nerdle features fewer tiles for beginners, while Pro Nerdle features user-created puzzles for an extra challenge.

There’s even an Archive mode called Nerdle Replay, where you can revisit any of the puzzles you may have missed.