Secret Message

About Secret Message

Every letter of a true, surprising fact has been swapped for another one. You get the words that appear — shuffled, and with no clue which is which — and your job is to work out which coded word is which real word. Place one and its letters fill in everywhere else, which is how the whole message unravels. Twenty-four messages from four words up to eleven, and each one was checked by computer to have exactly one way of fitting together, so a finished grid is always right.

Secret Message is one of our words & letters games for kids. This one plays in the iPhone and iPad app rather than in the browser, but 33 of our games are free to play right here — browse the full library to find them. It is also in our logic games for kids collection.

How to Play

• Tap a coded word in the message.
• Tap the word from the list you think it is.
• Matching letters fill in across the whole message.
• A word that clashes with what you've placed is refused — take words back by tapping them.

Tips & Tricks

• Start with the shortest words — A, ON, IS, THE.
• Look at the shape: a word with a doubled letter must match one with a doubled letter.
• If you get stuck, take a word back rather than clearing everything.

What It Practises

Secret Message is mostly for fun, but it still asks something of a child:

• Deduction from letter patterns
• Spotting letter frequency and word shape
• Sticking with a long chain of reasoning

Secret Message — Frequently Asked Questions