Cipher #196 hints — Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Stuck on today's wheel? Here are three nudges that get harder, then the answer at the very bottom. Nothing above the last section spoils the word.
Standard band — A midweek puzzle: ordinary letters, no tricks.
The ciphertext
This is what the board shows you before any guess. Repeated symbols mean repeated letters.
Hint 1 — The shape of it
Today's word has 5 different letters across six positions, so one letter appears twice — look at the ciphertext and you can see exactly where. The vowels sit at positions 2 and 4 and 5.
Hint 2 — Where to start
It begins with V and ends with N. If you can place either of those, the wheel hands you that mapping and the ciphertext starts reading back at you.
Hint 3 — Narrowing it down
The word contains more than one vowel and its letters are not all common — there is an awkward one in there. First three letters: VIS…
Show the answer to Cipher #196
The word was VISION.
Which means the wheel mapped V→G, I→M, S→B, O→L, N→P.
Want to try this one yourself instead? Play #196 as practice — no hints, and it won't touch your streak.