PulseWORKED EXAMPLE · 4 MIN READ
Repeated guesses in Numble: one digit cannot earn two matches
Trace duplicate-aware Numble feedback with the hidden code 4279 and the guess 4422.
Numble's current hidden codes use four different digits, but guesses may repeat them. That creates a useful feedback lesson: a digit present in the code can receive one positive mark and one absent mark in the same guess. The absent mark applies to the extra occurrence, not necessarily to the digit everywhere.
A concrete example
For this demonstration, the hidden code is 4 2 7 9. The guess is 4 4 2 2. A solver does not see the code during play; we show it here so every feedback mark can be checked.
Match exact positions first
The first guessed 4 matches the code's first position. It receives a correct-position mark, and that hidden 4 is now used. The second guessed 4 is not in the correct position. Neither guessed 2 is in the code's second position, so neither is an exact match.
Match the remaining occurrences
After the exact match, the unmatched hidden digits are 2, 7, and 9. There is no unused 4, so the second guessed 4 is absent. The first unmatched guessed 2, in position three, can match the hidden 2 in position two. It receives a present-but-misplaced mark and uses that 2. The final guessed 2 then has no unused copy left and is absent.
| Guess position | Digit | Feedback | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Correct position | Matches the first hidden digit. |
| 2 | 4 | Absent | The only hidden 4 is already matched. |
| 3 | 2 | Present elsewhere | Matches the unused 2 in position two. |
| 4 | 2 | Absent | The only hidden 2 is already matched. |
Turn the marks into constraints
The first position is 4. The code contains 2, but the third position cannot be 2. In this edition, the distinct-digit rule also excludes another 4 or 2 from the code. The guess says nothing about whether the remaining digits are 7 and 9: those digits were not tested. Seeing the example's code should not be confused with information available to the player.
A useful next experiment could test new digits while retaining the first 4. A likely solution should also place 2 somewhere permitted. The choice depends on earlier rows and the turns remaining; this single row is not enough to identify the whole code.
Check your understanding
Keep the hidden code 4279, but guess 2 2 4 4. What changes when the second guessed 2 is in its exact position?
Show the feedback
The second 2 is correct-position and takes the only hidden 2 before misplaced matches are considered. The first 2 is therefore absent. The third-position 4 is present elsewhere and takes the only hidden 4; the fourth-position 4 is absent. Exact matches must be accounted for first.
Read the Numble guide for six-guess planning, or play the daily code and inspect repeated occurrences separately.
Put the idea into practice
Try the daily Numble puzzle or revisit a past date.
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