Rushle FAQ
Answers to the questions I get asked most. If yours is not here, email hello@rushle.io and I will add it.
The basics
What is Rushle?
Rushle is a daily word puzzle. You solve 26 target words connected by a cascade. Each correct guess opens letters in the words it is linked to. Free, browser-based, no signup.
How is Rushle different from Wordle?
Wordle is one word, six guesses. Rushle is 26 words, all connected. Solve one word, the cascade fires and letters open in the linked words. The puzzle gets easier as you go.
Who built Rushle?
Brandon Clark. Solo. Vanilla JS frontend, Netlify Functions backend, Stripe for the optional Plus tier. The paywall shipped in 72 hours and cost me a Sunday on two Stripe bugs. More on the build is at the blog.
Gameplay
How are puzzles generated?
Each daily puzzle is one of 365 precomputed entries that ship with the site. Every puzzle has 26 five-letter words, one for each starting letter A through Z, and a difficulty rating of easy, medium, or hard.
Why 26 words?
26 is the size of the alphabet, and every puzzle includes one word per starting letter. It also turned out to be the cap where the cascade stays interesting without becoming trivial. Smaller puzzles ended too fast. Bigger puzzles started feeling like cleanup work.
What does the cascade actually do?
When you solve a word, every letter in that word is revealed in every other word that has the same letter in the same position. Some words share many letter positions with the rest of the grid, some share few. Solve enough words and the rest of the puzzle starts revealing itself before you even guess.
How many guesses do I get per word?
Six guesses per word, the same as Wordle. Invalid words (typos, non-words) are rejected and you can try something else.
How do hints work?
A hint reveals one letter in the word you are currently working on. Free play gives you three hints per day. Rushle Plus has unlimited hints.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes. The full archive is at rushle.io/archive. Free players can see the list and play the most recent three. Rushle Plus members can play any past puzzle.
Why does today's puzzle feel different from yesterday's?
Each puzzle has its own difficulty rating and its own set of 26 words, so the cascade lights up differently every day. Some days the difficulty front-loads, some days it back-loads. Variety is the point.
Daily reset and progress
When does a new puzzle drop?
Midnight in your local time zone, based on your browser clock. Each device resets independently.
If I close the tab, do I lose my progress?
No. Progress is saved in your browser and restored next time you visit. Progress is local to the device you are playing on. If you switch devices, your progress does not transfer. If you clear your browser data, that progress is gone.
Can I play on mobile?
Yes. The site is responsive. No app to install.
Rushle Plus
What is Rushle Plus?
Optional paid tier. $2.99 per month. Adds unlimited hints, full puzzle archive access, and detailed stats. Free refund in your first week. The daily puzzle stays free for everyone.
Why a paid tier on a free game?
Hosting, domains, and a Stripe account cost real money. Rushle Plus pays the running cost so the daily game can stay free without ads. If Plus does not work as a model, ads do not get added next; the game just stops paying for itself.
How do I get my Plus subscription back if I clear cookies?
Click Restore Rushle+ on the Plus settings or paywall screen and enter the email you used to subscribe. If we find an active subscription on that email, your Plus access is restored on this device.
How do I cancel?
Open the Plus settings page and click Manage subscription. You will land on Stripe's customer portal where you can cancel in one click. You keep Plus access until the end of your billing period.
Do you store my data?
The free game stores nothing on the server. Your progress is local to your browser. Plus members have a subscription record (email and subscription status) on Netlify Blobs. We do not sell, share, or analyze your gameplay beyond aggregate event counts in Google Analytics.
Tech and trust
What is Rushle built on?
Vanilla JS frontend, no framework. Netlify Functions for the backend. Netlify Blobs for storage. Stripe for payments. JWT for Plus session tokens. Hosted on Netlify.
Is Rushle open source?
No. Closed source for now.
How can I report a bug or suggest a feature?
Email hello@rushle.io. Include a screenshot if you can.
Where is Rushle going?
One puzzle a day. Better cascade balancing over time. A growing archive. The optional Plus tier funding it. That is the whole roadmap.