Guide
How to Play DOODLE5
Everything you need to know about the free daily drawing word game — rules, scoring, hints, and tips to top the leaderboard.
What is DOODLE5?
DOODLE5 is a free daily word puzzle game available on web and mobile. Every day at midnight Eastern Time, a new puzzle is published. Each puzzle contains five pencil-sketch clue drawings — all related to one hidden mystery word. Your goal is to figure out that mystery word using as few guesses (and hints) as possible.
Think of it as a visual crossword meets word association. It challenges your lateral thinking, vocabulary, and ability to spot patterns across different drawings. The game is free to play and takes just a couple of minutes each day.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Open today's puzzle
Go to doodle5.com and sign in (or create a free account). A brand-new puzzle drops every day. Once you open it, a timer starts — your solve time is tracked for the Speed leaderboard.
- 2
Study the five clue drawings
Five pencil-sketch drawings are displayed. Each depicts a word that relates to the mystery DOODLE5 word. You can click on any drawing and enter a guess for what it shows — this helps you label the clues. Clue-drawing guesses are completely free and do not affect your score. You get 3 tries per drawing.
- 3
Use hints wisely (optional)
Three hint types help you when you're stuck:
- First Letter — reveals the first letter of the mystery word (−15 points)
- Last Letter — reveals the last letter of the mystery word (−15 points)
- Secret Clue — a short text clue from the puzzle creator, the most powerful hint (−20 points)
- Reveal Clue Word — auto-reveal what a specific drawing shows without guessing (−5 points per reveal, up to 5 total)
Each hint permanently reduces your final score for that puzzle — once used it cannot be undone. Note: typing guesses for clue drawings is always free (3 tries per drawing). Only the auto-reveal button costs points.
- 4
Submit your DOODLE5 guess
Type your best guess for the mystery word in the main guess box and press Submit. You get 3 attempts. Each wrong guess costs 10 points. If you run out of guesses, the answer is revealed but no points are awarded.
- 5
See your score and leaderboard rank
After solving, your score breakdown is shown. Check the global leaderboard to see how you rank. Come back tomorrow for a new puzzle — your daily streak keeps growing as long as you solve at least one puzzle per day.
Scoring System
DOODLE5 uses a points-based scoring system designed to reward efficiency. The base score depends on how many guesses you used to crack the mystery word:
Penalties are deducted from your base score for each hint used:
- First Letter hint: −15 points
- Last Letter hint: −15 points
- Secret Clue hint: −20 points
- Clue word auto-reveal: −5 points each (up to 5 reveals)
Example: Solve on guess 2 (90 pts) but use the Secret Clue (−20 pts) and reveal 2 clue words (−10 pts) = 60 points total. Typing guesses for clue drawings is always free — guess each drawing up to 3 times with zero penalty. Only the auto-reveal button costs points.
Tips for High Scores
Label all 5 drawings first
Spend time identifying each clue drawing before making your main guess. Knowing all five related words dramatically narrows down possibilities — and it's free to try.
Look for the connecting theme
The mystery word isn't always a direct synonym. It might be a category, compound word, or abstract concept that links all five drawings. Think broad.
Save hints for last
Use hints only if you've exhausted other options. The First Letter hint alone can often unlock the answer without sacrificing 20+ points on the Secret Clue.
Protect your streak
Daily streaks are tracked even if you don't score perfectly. A 3-guess solve still keeps your streak alive — don't skip a day trying to wait for inspiration.
Leaderboards & Social Features
DOODLE5 includes a full competitive layer beyond the daily puzzle:
Ready to start your streak?
DOODLE5 is free to play on web and mobile. Create a free account to save your progress, track your streak, and climb the leaderboards.