hard math puzzles
for those who like a proper challenge
Solved classic nerdle too quickly? These are the toughest games the nerdleverse has to offer – bigger grids, multiple simultaneous puzzles, tighter constraints, and less room for error.
nerdle's hardest games
More about each game
- maxi nerdle – 10 characters with extra operators. More digits, more symbols, more possible combinations. A significant step up from classic.
- quad nerdle – four nerdle puzzles solved at the same time. Every guess applies to all four grids simultaneously, so you need to balance information across all of them.
- cross nerdle (weekends) – cross nerdle puzzles get harder through the week. The Saturday and Sunday puzzles are substantially more complex than Monday’s, with larger grids and trickier arithmetic.
- nanagram x9 – find all valid calculations using the given tiles, with calculations up to 9 characters long. The hardest nanagram level requires exhaustive searching.
- maffdoku level 3 – the hard mode of maffdoku, with fewer starting clues and more deduction required.
- 2d nerdle level 3 – the hardest 2d nerdle level, combining digits and symbols in a two-dimensional grid.
Is nerdle harder than Wordle?
It’s a common question. The short answer: classic nerdle has more possible combinations per guess than Wordle (digits, operators and an equals sign vs. just 26 letters), and order of operations adds a layer of logic that word games don’t have. Whether that makes it harder depends on whether you think in numbers or letters – but the games on this page are definitely harder than both.
If you’re looking for something gentler, try our easy math puzzles or start with mini nerdle.