How to play Morning Mysteries
What is a logic grid puzzle?
A logic grid puzzle gives you a few sets of things, such as Seekers and the goods they sell, plus a list of clues. Your job is to work out the one way of matching them that fits every clue. You never need luck. Each clue either rules a pairing out or points straight at one, and the grid is just a tidy place to keep track of what you know. Fans of sudoku will recognise the feeling: one fact unlocks the next.
How to play, step by step
- Read the scenario and the question at the top. It tells you what you are working out, such as who sold what or who is lying.
- Read Auntie Pearl's numbered clues. Her facts are always true, so start there.
- Tap a cell in the grid to cycle it: blank, then a cross for ruled out, then a dot for confirmed.
- When you confirm a dot, the game crosses off the rest of that row and column for you, because each Seeker has exactly one answer and no two share.
- Keep going until every row has its dot. On a liar day, finish by accusing the guest whose words cannot be squared with the facts.
A tiny worked example
Three Seekers, Anne, Baldric and Cora, each sell one thing: rugs, lanterns or spices. Clue 1: Anne does not sell the rugs. Clue 2: Anne does not sell the spices. Clue 3: Baldric does not sell the spices.
Clues 1 and 2 cross out two of Anne's three cells, so she must sell lanterns. Confirm that dot and lanterns are crossed off for Baldric and Cora. Clue 3 crosses spices off for Baldric, which leaves him the rugs, and Cora is left with the spices. Three clues, three answers, no guessing. A real puzzle works the same way with more rows and trickier clues.
Tips for harder days
- Go back to the clues you skipped. When you feel stuck, one unused clue usually holds the next step.
- Mark what is ruled out, not only what is certain. Crosses are what make the dots appear.
- Dani's Challenge is the same day's puzzle at the top of the difficulty scale, with several interlocked grids. It is the same for everyone and has no streak, only bragging rights. Clues that cross between grids, such as whoever leases one item sat in a certain seat, are the key, and the dual-category style is good practice.
- Liar days: when one guest lies, every word they say is false. A guest who speaks twice tells two lies. Tap a Seeker's name to track your suspicions as the clues come in. Paired-statement days work differently, and the paired statements puzzle explains the one-truth, one-lie rule.
- Map and lineup days: on the directional map north is at the top, and "side by side" means two landmarks share a path. On the lineup grid every mark must be provable from the clues you can see, so a mark that will not stick means a clue is still missing.
- Use a hint as a nudge, not a rescue. It points at one deduction and leaves the rest to you.
More puzzles to try
If you like a daily routine, browse every free game on the site, crack the emoji cipher in Daily Decode, or try the daily chess puzzle. Prefer paper? The large print puzzles come with answers, seasonal sheets suit the time of year, and the free tools include generators for word searches and cryptograms. Unsure of a puzzle word? The puzzle glossary explains it in plain language.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to play?
No. Morning Mysteries is free and runs in your browser. Signing in only saves your solve times and your streak.
How long does one puzzle take?
Most take around ten minutes. The classic grid is the quickest, and Dani's Challenge can take a good deal longer.
Is guessing ever the right move?
No. Every puzzle can be solved by elimination alone, so if you are about to guess, look for a clue you have not used yet.
What does a hint cost?
A hint adds time on the leaderboard but never blocks you from finishing. Auntie Pearl points out the next deduction, one small step at a time.
Can I play an older mystery or print one?
Yes. Past mysteries stay playable in the archive, though an old solve will not land on that day's live leaderboard. The daily pack collects the day's sheets with an answer key at the back.
What is the difference between a liar day and a Truth and Lie day?
On a liar day one guest lies and every word that guest says is false, so you find the culprit by spotting who cannot be squared with the facts. On a Truth and Lie day there is no culprit: each Seeker speaks twice and exactly one of the two statements is true.