How Hints Work
Stuck on a puzzle? A hint reveals one cell that disagrees with the solution — a nudge, not the answer. Here is everything about earning, holding, and spending hints.
How You Earn Hints
| Action | Hints Awarded |
|---|---|
| Sign up | 10 |
| First-time easy solve | 1 |
| First-time medium solve | 2 |
| First-time hard solve | 3 |
| First-time expert solve | 4 |
Replays do not award hints (same first-time-only rule as XP).
The 25-Hint Inventory Cap
Your hint inventory is capped at 25 hints. When a reward would push you past the cap, you only get the difference. If you are already at 25, nothing is added.
Example
You have 24 hints and complete a hard puzzle (normally +3). You receive 1 hint to reach 25; the other 2 are not granted. Spend a few hints, and the next reward starts topping you up again.
This keeps stockpiling in check — solve to use, not to hoard.
Per-Puzzle Hint Caps
You cannot spend unlimited hints on one puzzle. Each puzzle has a maximum:
| Difficulty | Max Hints per Puzzle |
|---|---|
| Easy | 3 |
| Medium | 3 |
| Hard | 4 |
| Expert | 5 |
Hit the cap and the “Use Hint” button greys out. From there you finish the puzzle on your own.
Hints Reduce Genius Score Gain
Hints are useful, but every hint you spend reduces what that puzzle credits toward your Genius Score:
hint_penalty per puzzle = hints_used × difficulty_mult × 0.5A puzzle finished with maximum hints credits the 0.5 floor instead of its full value. See How Genius Score Works for the full formula and worked examples.
Smart Hint Usage on an Expert Puzzle
An expert puzzle (cap 5 hints) credits roughly 7 points without hints. Compare:
| Hints Used | Approximate Contribution |
|---|---|
| 0 | ~7 (full) |
| 1 | ~5 |
| 3 | ~1 |
| 5 | 0.5 (floor) |
The value of perseverance: solving without hints credits the full base + speed bonus.
When Should I Use Hints?
- You are learning a new puzzle type
- You are stuck and want to keep momentum (better to finish with a hint than abandon)
- You want a quick taste of harder difficulties before committing fully
When NOT to use hints:
- You are racing for a high Genius Score
- You are climbing the leaderboard