“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Today’s puzzle is a great puzzle that everyone can enjoy. They are called alphametics. In each puzzle, there is a simple addition problem. However, instead of using numbers, letters are used. Each letter stands for a single digit number (e.g. 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or 9). Within each puzzle, a number can be associated with only one letter, so two different letters can not equal the same number. The meaning of the letters may change from puzzle to puzzle, so “N” may be “5” in the first puzzle and may be “3” in the second puzzle. The objective is to assign each letter a number so the statement is correct – in other words, it all adds up. It sounds straight-forward and is easy to understand, but may be very challenging. Here’s an example:
In this example, there are eight different letters each matched with a unique number, so F=1, O=3, U=6, R=7 and so on. Make sure you understand the example. When you do, try the following puzzles. I have created three interactive puzzles below.
The first puzzle has eight unique letters (L,E,T,I,S,N,O,W) with only T duplicated. Use any of the numbers 0 through 9 (two numbers will not be used) to solve. There are numerous solutions. Enter your answer in the boxes and select Check when complete to check your answers.
The second puzzle has eight unique letters (F,O,U,R,N,E,I,V) with F,O,E duplicated. Use any of the numbers 0 through 9 (two numbers will not be used) to solve. There are numerous solutions. An extra challenge is to try to solve this puzzle using only the numbers 0 through 7 (try not to use 8 and 9). Enter your answer in the boxes and select Check when complete to check your answers.
I’ve heard it said that two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do! The third puzzle has eight unique letters (L,E,F,T,R,I,G,H) with L,E,F,T duplicated. Use any of the numbers 0 through 9 (two numbers will not be used) to solve. There are numerous solutions. An extra challenge is to try to solve this puzzle using only the numbers 1 through 8 (try not to use 0 and 9). Enter your answer in the boxes and select Check when complete to check your answers.
I hope you enjoy these puzzles. Good Luck and pass the puzzles onto others who may enjoy them!