Cipher Paths — free online word game
Crack Caesar ciphers, unscramble words and trace hidden words through a letter grid.
About Cipher Paths
Cipher Paths mixes three word puzzles in one run: decode a Caesar-shifted word, unscramble an anagram, and trace a hidden word through a grid of letters. Every word belongs to a theme that serves as your clue, and puzzles get harder as you build a streak.
Your best score, XP and achievements are saved in this browser only. Switch to Daily challenge in the game bar to play today’s shared puzzle.
How to play Cipher Paths
- 1Read the theme clue — every answer belongs to it.
- 2Decode: letters are shifted through the alphabet; shift them back to find the word.
- 3Unscramble: rearrange the letters into the themed word.
- 4Trail: drag through touching letters (diagonals count) to spell the hidden word.
- 5Answer quickly for bonus points. Three mistakes end the run.
Controls: Type answers with your keyboard, or tap letters; for the trail, drag across the grid or tap letters one by one.
Tips and strategy
- In a Caesar cipher, the same shift is applied to every letter — the first puzzles show it as a hint.
- For anagrams, look for common endings like -ING, -ER and -TION.
- In the trail, find a rare letter first and grow the path from it.
Cipher Paths FAQ
What is a Caesar cipher?
A simple code where every letter is moved a fixed number of places along the alphabet. With a shift of 3, A becomes D and HELLO becomes KHOOR.
Do I need to know the shift?
The first rounds tell you the shift. Later rounds hide it, so you have to work it out — try shifting one short word until it makes sense.
Are the daily words the same for everyone?
Yes. The daily run is generated from the date, so everyone gets the same words on the same UTC day.