What is the number guessing game?
The number guessing game is the classic higher-or-lower puzzle: a secret whole number is hidden in a range, you guess, and after every guess you are told whether the secret number is higher or lower. You win by landing on it before your guesses run out.
This version was built by Daily Guessing Game and runs in your browser. The daily number guessing game hides one number from 1 to 100 that is the same for everyone that day, and gives you 7 guesses. Practice mode is unlimited and adds two bigger ranges.
How to play the number guessing game
- Press Play. The game loads on this page.
- Type a number and press Guess (or Enter). The message tells you "Higher" or "Lower".
- Watch the blue band. It shrinks to show where the number can still be, with the lowest and highest possible values at each end.
- Keep narrowing. The dots under the band count the guesses you have used.
- Finish. Hit the number and you win. Use all your guesses and the game shows you the answer.
Ranges and guess limits
| Range | Mode | Guesses allowed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 100 | Daily and Practice | 7 |
| 1 to 1,000 | Practice | 10 |
| 1 to 10,000 | Practice | 14 |
The strategy that always wins
You can win every number guessing game with these limits. The method is to guess the middle of what is left, every time.
Each middle guess cuts the possibilities in half. From 1 to 100, guess 50. If the answer is "higher", 51 to 100 remain, so guess 75, and so on. Halving 100 numbers again and again reaches a single number within 7 guesses, because 7 halvings can separate up to 127 possibilities. The same arithmetic gives 10 guesses for 1,000 (up to 1,023) and 14 for 10,000 (up to 16,383). Programmers call this binary search.
So the limits are fair but tight. One careless guess outside the middle and you may need luck. A guess outside the blue band still counts as a guess, and tells you nothing new.
Daily and Practice modes
- Daily: one secret number from 1 to 100 per day, the same for every player, 7 guesses. Your progress is saved in your browser, so reloading the page continues the same game. A new daily number guessing game starts at midnight in your own time zone.
- Practice: as many rounds as you want, with a new random number each time. Choose 1 to 100, 1 to 1,000 or 1 to 10,000.
When a round ends you can copy a spoiler-free result: one arrow per guess showing higher or lower, and never the number itself.
Tips
- Do the halving in your head with the band. Add the two ends of the blue band and halve the total. Between 76 and 87, that is 163, so guess 81 or 82.
- Do not chase a hunch. A lucky guess feels good, but a guess far from the middle can leave too many numbers for the guesses you have left.
- Try to beat the limit. Winning is guaranteed with good play, so the real score is how few guesses you need. With perfect halving you will average between 5 and 6 on the 1 to 100 range.
- Play it with children. The number guessing game is a simple way to practise comparing numbers and the idea of "halfway between".
Number Guessing Game FAQ
How do you play the number guessing game?
A secret number is hidden in a range. You type a guess and the game says whether the secret number is higher or lower. Keep narrowing the range until you hit the number or run out of guesses.
What is the best strategy for a number guessing game?
Always guess the middle of the remaining range. Each guess then removes half of the possibilities, which guarantees a win within 7 guesses for 1 to 100.
How many guesses do you need to guess a number from 1 to 100?
At most 7 if you always guess the middle, because seven halvings can tell apart up to 127 numbers. The average with that method is just under 6.
Is the daily number the same for everyone?
Yes. Everyone playing on the same date gets the same daily number. It changes at midnight in your own time zone.
Can I play more than once a day?
Yes. Practice mode gives you a new random number every round, in the range 1 to 100, 1 to 1,000 or 1 to 10,000.
Is the number guessing game free?
Yes. It is free, runs in your browser, and needs no account or download.
Who made this number guessing game?
It was built by Daily Guessing Game for this site.