How to play Rankle, the daily ranking puzzle
One question, four things, put them in order. It takes about a minute.
The rules
- Read the question, for example Rank by animal top speed (slowest to fastest). The words in brackets tell you which way round to go.
- You get four items in a shuffled order. The starting order is never already correct.
- Tap one item, then another, to swap them. Swap as often as you like; the top slot is first.
- Press Submit Order when you are happy. You get one submission per day.
- The real figures appear next to each item, so you see exactly how close you were.
Scoring
Green: the item is in the right slot. Each green is one point.
Orange: one place out.
Red: two or more places out.
Your score is the number of greens, out of 4. A perfect 4/4 is a win. You cannot score exactly 3, because if three items are in place the last one must be too, so scores go 0, 1, 2 or 4.
A timer runs while you play. On the daily leaderboard players are ranked by score, then by time, so a quick perfect beats a slow one.
Tips
- Fix the ends first. The smallest and largest are usually the easiest calls. Get those right and you are already on 2 points.
- Think in orders of magnitude. Is it tens, thousands or millions? Many puzzles have one item far ahead of the rest.
- Read the direction. Times often run fastest to slowest, and dates run oldest to newest. Putting the right order upside down scores zero.
- Find the close pair. Most puzzles have two items that are near each other. Settle the rest, then make your best call on that pair.
- Warm up on the archive. Past puzzles play as practice with no effect on your streak, and the answer archive explains every one.
Streaks, stats and sharing
Play on consecutive days to build a streak. Every 7 days earns a streak freeze (up to 2), which covers a missed day automatically. Your stats page shows your score spread and win rate, and the Share button posts your coloured result row without giving the answer away.
FAQ
What is Rankle?
Rankle is a free daily ranking puzzle. Each day there is one question and four things to put in the right order, such as animals by top speed or cities by population. Everyone gets the same puzzle.
When does the new Rankle come out?
Every day at midnight UTC. In the UK that is midnight in winter and 1am during British Summer Time.
How many goes do I get?
One. You can swap the items as many times as you like, but once you press Submit your order is final and the real figures are revealed.
Why can I never score 3 out of 4?
Because there are only four slots. If three items are in their correct places, the fourth has nowhere else to go, so it must be right too. The possible scores are 0, 1, 2 and 4.
What do the colours mean?
Green means the item is in exactly the right slot. Orange means it is one place out. Red means it is two or more places out. Only green counts towards your score.
Which way round do I rank them?
Follow the words in brackets in the question, such as fewest to most or fastest to slowest. The first item in that order goes in the top slot.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes. The archive in the game has every past Rankle to play for practice. Practice games do not change your streak, stats or the leaderboard. The answers to past puzzles are listed on the Rankle answers page.
How do streaks and streak freezes work?
Your streak counts the days in a row you have played, win or lose. Every 7 days of streak earns a freeze (you can hold up to 2), and a freeze is used automatically to cover a missed day.
Is Rankle free? Do I need an account?
It is free, with no account and no download. It runs in any browser and you can add it to your home screen.