Grid Hard mode: keep your clues without restarting
Learn Scramdle Grid Hard mode with accepted and rejected guesses, repeated-letter examples, and a clear explanation of why changing the setting keeps your board.
Scramdle · PublishedWhat Hard mode requires
In Scramdle Grid, Hard mode keeps green letters in their confirmed positions and requires you to reuse every letter revealed in green or gold. If a row reveals two copies of a letter, your next guess needs at least two. These requirements apply to clues from all your previous rows.
You can turn Hard mode on or off during an unfinished puzzle without losing your guesses. The answer stays the same, and you still have six guesses in total. The setting changes which guesses are allowed; it does not start a second daily game.
The examples below use chosen teaching answers, not a walkthrough of today’s puzzle. Each candidate is considered separately after the illustrated row.
Keep the greens and carry the gold letter forward
Imagine the answer is PLANT and your first guess is PLATE. P, L and A are green in positions 1, 2 and 3. T is gold in position 4. E is gray. A later Hard mode guess must begin PLA and contain a T.
PLAIT meets those requirements: it keeps PLA and puts T at the end. You do not know that PLAIT is wrong from this first row alone. PLANE and SLANT, however, break the Hard mode requirements for different reasons.
| Next guess | Hard mode check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| PLAIT | Accepted | Keeps PLA fixed and includes T. It could fit the clues so far. |
| PLANE | Rejected | Leaves out the revealed T. |
| SLANT | Rejected | Does not keep the green P in position 1. |
| PLATE | Accepted, but repeats the same information | Keeps the required letters, while reusing gray E and leaving gold T in its known-wrong position. |
Example answer: PLANT · Guess: PLATE
- Position 1: PGreen
- Position 2: LGreen
- Position 3: AGreen
- Position 4: TGold
- Position 5: EGray
An accepted guess is not always a possible answer
Scramdle’s Hard mode check does not ban gray letters or force a gold letter into a new position. It also does not enforce a maximum count when you have revealed an extra gray copy. That is why repeating PLATE in the example passes the check, even though the clues already rule it out as the answer.
Before submitting, make a second check yourself: does this word fit the information on the board? Move gold letters away from positions where they failed, avoid letters ruled out by gray tiles, and respect any known limit on repeated copies. A word that fits the clues can help you test a possible solution as well as gather new information.
A rejected Hard mode guess does not use a row. Read the message, edit the word and try again. An accepted guess does use a row, even when it repeats information.
Two gold Es mean you must keep two Es
For a separate example, imagine the answer is SHEEP and you guess EERIE. The first two Es turn gold, while R, I and the final E turn gray. The two gold tiles establish two required Es. The third, gray E tells you the answer has exactly two.
SHEAR contains only one E, so Hard mode rejects it. STEEL contains two and passes. Repeating EERIE also passes the minimum-count check because it has at least two Es, but its extra E, R and I make it impossible as the answer.
Count copies within a row, not by adding the same clue across rows. Seeing one gold E in two different guesses does not establish two Es. Use the largest number of green and gold copies revealed together in any one row. The guide to repeated-letter colors explains how those counts are assigned.
| Next guess | Hard mode check | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| SHEAR | Rejected | Only one E; two revealed copies are required. |
| STEEL | Accepted | Two Es, both in new positions; no R or I. |
| EERIE | Accepted, but already ruled out | The check permits extra copies and gray letters. Use those clues yourself. |
Example answer: SHEEP · Guess: EERIE
- Position 1: EGold
- Position 2: EGold
- Position 3: RGray
- Position 4: IGray
- Position 5: EGray
Switch Hard mode without clearing the board
Open Grid Classic, Advanced or Expert and use the Hard mode switch on the start screen or beside an unfinished board. If you have already made guesses, turning it on keeps those rows and uses their clues when checking your next word. Turning it off keeps the rows too.
Five-, seven- and nine-letter Grid each have six guesses and one daily attempt per length. For a longer board, the five-to-seven-letter lesson walks through Advanced. Hard mode does not provide another attempt, reset the answer or refill used rows. Once you finish, return through View your results to see the saved board. The daily puzzles reset at midnight Eastern.
For your next row, first lock the greens, then count required copies, then look for a word that fits the remaining color clues. Take your time: Grid has no countdown. You can revisit the full Scramdle rules or start with the five-letter board below.