About Zellij Daily Puzzle
Zellij Daily Puzzle is a code-breaking game made for Lmodire. Every day there is one hidden row of four tiles, and everyone who plays that day is solving the same row. You choose from 20 tiles and get seven tries, and after each try the board tells you how close you came. It takes a few minutes, which makes it an easy habit with a morning coffee.
Zellij is the geometric mosaic craft seen on walls, fountains and courtyards across Morocco, and every tile in this game is cut from a real photograph of it. The tiles come from walls in cities including Fes, Marrakesh and Rabat. The game needs no language skills because there are no words to guess, only patterns and logic. The puzzle changes at midnight on your own device, and winning it adds to your daily streak.
How to play
- The 20 tiles are sorted into four colour families: Blue, Green, Gold and Black. The hidden row holds four different tiles, and they can come from any family.
- Tap four tiles to fill your row, then press Lay row. Undo removes your last tile, and so does the Backspace key on a keyboard.
- A green border and tick mean the tile is exactly right.
- A yellow border and question mark mean the tile is in the hidden row, but in a different place.
- A blue border and wavy sign mean the tile is not in the row, but the right tile for that place is from the same colour family.
- A grey cross means the tile is not in the row, and the tile in that place is from a different family.
- Use the clues on your next try. The tile buttons change too, so you can see which tiles are out and which are in. Find the whole row within seven tries to win.
- Watch your wall go up. Your board is laid as a real zellij panel, tile by tile, in the order you played. Sign it with your name and share it, with a title you earn, from Lpatron and M3allem down to 7rayfi and Stagiaire. Each tile keeps its clue colour on the wall, so your best picks stand out. Tick Hide the answer before you share if friends have not played yet.
Your result, streak and statistics are saved in this browser only, so they will not follow you to another device.
Tips
- Start with one tile from each family, in different orders on your first two tries. You will quickly learn which family belongs in each place.
- A blue wavy sign is a strong clue. It narrows that place down from 20 tiles to the four others in that family.
- A grey cross rules out a whole family for that place, so five tiles disappear from your choices there.
- Keep a green tile where it is, and move each yellow tile to a place it has not been tried. Every row should fit all the clues so far.
- Stuck late in the game? Use a row to test two uncertain places at once, rather than changing only one tile.
Questions about Zellij Daily Puzzle
When does the Zellij puzzle change?
At midnight on your device. The puzzle number is worked out from your calendar date, so a new one is ready as soon as your day begins.
Does everyone get the same puzzle?
Yes. Everyone playing on the same calendar date gets the same hidden row, which is why comparing results with friends is fair.
Are the tiles real?
Yes. Each tile is cut from a photograph of real zellij. The photographers are credited at the bottom of this page.
How do I share my wall?
On a phone, press Share wall and pick an app. On a computer, press Copy wall, then paste it into WhatsApp, X or any chat. Save keeps a copy. Your wall always carries the link to the game, so friends can build their own.
Can a tile appear twice in the row?
No. The hidden row always has four different tiles, so you cannot pick the same tile twice in a row.
Can I play more than once a day?
The daily puzzle can only be played once, but after finishing it you can play as many practice rounds as you like. Practice rounds do not change your streak.
What happens to my streak if I change phone?
Your streak is saved in your browser, not in an account, so it stays on that device. Clearing your browser data will also reset it.
Is it free?
Yes. There is nothing to buy and no account to create.
Photo credits
The tiles are cropped and colour-adjusted from these photographs on Wikimedia Commons. The cropped tiles are shared under the same licences.
- Zellige dar benkhadra by Ismael zniber, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zellige de Rabat by Ismael zniber, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zellige-Marrakesh-1 by Maupie, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Moroccan zellige in Fes by Orlysi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Moroccan zellige marrakesh by Orlysi, CC BY-SA 4.0
