Cipher · Practice · Hints

Cipher #206 hints — Saturday, 25 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.

Cryptic band — A Friday or Saturday puzzle, so expect an awkward letter or an unusual shape.

The ciphertext

This is what the board shows you before any guess. Repeated symbols mean repeated letters.

L·Z·I·R·D·C·
Hint 1 — The shape of it

Today's word has 6 different letters across six positions, all of them different. The vowels sit at positions 2 and 5.

Hint 2 — Where to start

It begins with N and ends with L. 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 all fairly ordinary. First three letters: NOR…

Show the answer to Cipher #206

The word was NORMAL.

LNZOIRRMDACL

Which means the wheel mapped N→L, O→Z, R→I, M→R, A→D, L→C.

Play today's Cipher →

Want to try this one yourself instead? Play #206 as practice — no hints, and it won't touch your streak.