Jotto

What is Jotto?

Jotto is a classic two-player word game of logic and deduction. Each player thinks of a secret five-letter word, and the players take turns guessing each other's. The only clue you ever get is a number: how many letters your guess has in common with the secret word. It was played with pencil and paper long before Mastermind or Wordle, and it is still one of the best word puzzles there is, because every guess is a small logic problem.

Here you can play Jotto online against the computer, which picks from about 1,500 common words, or with a friend on one phone. Guesses are checked against a dictionary of 7,000 five-letter words.

A Jotto game, step by step

Say the secret word is CLOUD. Here is how a game might go:

1. TRAIN — 0 jots. A great start: T, R, A, I and N are all out. Cross them off.
2. HOUSE — 2 jots. Two of H, O, U, S and E are in the word.
3. MOUSE — 2 jots. Swapping H for M changed nothing, so H and M are either both in or both out.
4. LOUSE — 3 jots. Swapping M for L added a jot, so L is in and M is out — which means H is out too. Two of O, U, S and E are in.
5. COULD — 5 jots! Five jots without winning means every letter is right, just in the wrong order.
6. CLOUD — got it in six guesses.

Jotto strategy

• Hunt for a zero. A guess with no jots rules out five letters at once. Words with uncommon letters, like JUMPY or WHICH, are good candidates.
• Change one letter at a time. When two guesses differ by a single letter, the difference in jots tells you exactly which of the two letters is in the word.
• Use the notepad. Cross out letters as soon as you know they're out. Your guesses are coloured to match, so patterns jump out.
• Count your vowels. Almost every five-letter word has one or two vowels. Working out which ones early narrows things down fast.
• Don't be afraid of non-answers. Your guess doesn't need to be a possible answer. A word chosen to test letters is often the fastest route.

Jotto rules

• Secret words have exactly five letters, all different, and must be real words.
• Guesses can be any five-letter word in the dictionary, repeated letters allowed.
• A jot is a letter in your guess that is also in the secret word, in any position. Each letter of the secret word only counts once.
• Five jots that aren't the word mean you've found an anagram.
• In the two-player game, the first player to guess the other's word wins.

Frequently asked questions

How do you play Jotto?

One player picks a secret five-letter word with no repeated letters. The other player guesses five-letter words, and after each guess is told how many letters it has in common with the secret — its 'jots' — but not which letters, and not where they are. Using those counts, you work out which letters are in the secret word, then unscramble it. You win when you guess the word exactly.

How are jots counted?

A jot is a letter your guess shares with the secret word, wherever it sits in the word. Each letter of the secret can only be matched once, so if the secret is CLOUD and you guess LOOPS, you score two jots (L and one O), not three. Secret words never repeat a letter, but your guesses may.

What does five jots mean if it isn't the word?

It means you have found all five letters, just in the wrong order — your guess is an anagram of the secret. If the secret is CLOUD and you guess COULD, you get five jots. Rearrange the letters and you've got it.

How is Jotto different from Wordle?

Wordle tells you exactly which letters are right and whether they are in the right place. Jotto only tells you how many letters match, so every guess is a small logic puzzle. Jotto is much older — it dates back to the 1950s — and it's usually played between two people, each trying to guess the other's word first.

How do you play Jotto with two players?

Choose 'Two players'. Each player types a secret word while the other looks away. Then you take turns guessing each other's word, passing the phone between turns. Each player has their own guess list and notepad, hidden from the other. The first to guess the other's word wins.

What is the notepad for?

The A–Z letters under your guesses are your notes. Tap a letter once to cross it out, twice to mark it as in the word, and a third time to clear it. Your guesses are coloured to match, which makes the deductions much easier to see. When a guess scores zero jots, the game crosses out its letters for you.

Is Jotto free to play?

Yes. It runs in any browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no sign-up and no download.

Word lists based on SCOWL, © Kevin Atkinson.

More word games to play in the browser

Solve today's Word Chain puzzle, play the Last Letter game, give clues on a budget in 15 Words or Less, sketch with the Pictionary Word Generator, or browse all our games.