Regexle

Regexle is a daily logic puzzle that lays regular-expression clues along the three axes of a hexagonal grid. You fill each hexagon with a character so that every pattern across every axis becomes a full match, and each rule changes color in real time as you work, turning bold purple once it is satisfied and orange-red while it is still broken. There is no hidden word to guess: the whole challenge is satisfying a web of overlapping regex constraints at once.

What is Regexle?

Regexle is a daily logic puzzle that turns regular expressions into a crossword. Instead of a square grid with word clues, it gives you a hexagon built from smaller hexagonal cells, with regex patterns printed along each of its three axes. You fill the cells with letters and digits so that every string read across every axis is a full match for the pattern guarding it. Empty hexagons count as spaces, so even leaving a cell blank is a deliberate move.

What sets Regexle apart from the wider family of Wordle clones is that there is no guessing and no hidden answer to fish for. You are not submitting five-letter words and reading colored tiles to narrow down a secret. Every constraint is visible from the start, and the difficulty comes from satisfying many overlapping patterns at once. A character class on one axis might allow a dozen options, but the two crossing axes through that same cell quietly rule out all but one. It is closer to a constraint-satisfaction puzzle or a logic grid than to a vocabulary game, and it rewards people who can read regex syntax fluently or are willing to learn it.

The game was made by Nathaniel Belles and Gable Brown, and it credits Jimbly's earlier regex crossword as inspiration. The project is open about its origins: the source and issue tracker live on GitLab under Nathaniel Belles, and the creators point players toward regex101.com as a reference for what each token means. Regexle gained visibility through a Hacker News post that introduced it as a regex-based hexagonal daily crossword puzzle. One unusual feature is the adjustable puzzle size: a setting controls the side length of the hexagon, so you can shrink the board for a quick solve or expand it for a much denser web of constraints.

Feedback is immediate and color-coded. Each rule shows in bold purple when its pattern is fully matched and in orange-red when it is not, so you always know exactly which constraints you have broken. Selecting a cell underlines the rules that pass through it, and clicking a rule reorients the Tab and Shift-Tab navigation to walk along that single axis. A separate lightbulb hint mode marks correct cells green and incorrect ones yellow, though leaning on it counts against a clean solve. When you finish, the game tracks personal stats including fastest solve, average time, total solves, and a daily streak, and a share button lets you post your result. The vibe is calm and cerebral rather than frantic, and it lands best with programmers, regex enthusiasts, and logic-puzzle fans who enjoy untangling interlocking rules.

How to play Regexle

1. Open the daily puzzle and read the regular-expression rules printed along the three axes of the hexagonal grid.
2. Click a hexagon to select it; the rules that cross that cell become underlined so you can see which patterns it must satisfy.
3. Type letters or digits into the cells, remembering that every axis must form a full match and that empty hexagons are treated as spaces.
4. Watch each rule's color: bold purple means that pattern is fully satisfied, while orange-red means it is still broken.
5. Use Tab and Shift-Tab to move between cells, or click a rule to lock navigation to that single axis while you work it.
6. Keep adjusting characters until every rule on all three axes turns bold purple, then use the share button to post your time and stats.

Tips and strategy

• Begin with the most restrictive patterns, such as literal strings or anchored character classes, because they pin down exact characters that the crossing axes are then forced to accept.
• Treat each hexagon as an intersection: a character that satisfies one axis must not break either of the two rules crossing it, so verify all three before committing.
• Learn to read alternation and quantifiers quickly; a rule like (ab|cd) or a{2,3} usually has far fewer valid fillings than it first appears once a crossing axis is in place.
• Remember that blank cells act as spaces, so when a pattern allows or requires whitespace, deliberately leaving a hexagon empty can be the correct move rather than an oversight.
• Click a rule to restrict Tab navigation to its axis when you want to reason through one tricky pattern end to end without the cursor wandering off it.
• Save the lightbulb hint for genuine dead ends, since it marks correct cells green and wrong ones yellow but counts against a clean, unaided solve.

Good to know

Resets

Daily, with a new puzzle each day

Cost

Free to play

Creators

Nathaniel Belles and Gable Brown

Inspired by

Jimbly's regex crossword project

Archive

Yes, past puzzles are reachable by day number via the day selector

Difficulty setting

Adjustable hexagon side length changes puzzle size

Regexle FAQ

Is Regexle free?

Yes. Regexle is free to play in a web browser, with no paywall or account required to solve the daily puzzle.

How do you win Regexle?

There are no limited guesses. You win by filling every hexagon so that all of the regular-expression rules along the three axes turn bold purple, meaning each pattern is a full match, while any unsatisfied rule stays orange-red. The challenge is satisfying every overlapping constraint at once, not guessing a hidden answer.

When does Regexle reset?

Regexle offers a new puzzle each day, and a day selector lets you load a specific day's board by its day number rather than waiting for the daily rollover.

Is there a Regexle archive?

Yes. Because puzzles are addressed by day number, you can use the day selector to go back and play earlier days rather than being limited to the current one.

Is Regexle related to Wordle?

It shares the once-a-day format and the dle name, but the mechanic is different. Regexle is a regex crossword on a hexagonal grid with all rules visible, so it relies on logic and pattern matching rather than guessing words against hidden feedback. It was inspired by Jimbly's regex crossword, not by Wordle.

Who made Regexle?

Regexle was created by Nathaniel Belles and Gable Brown, with its source and issue tracker hosted on GitLab. The creators credit Jimbly's regex crossword as inspiration and point players to regex101.com for learning regex syntax.