How duplicate letters work
Repeated letters create some of the most misunderstood clues in five-letter games. Fivefold evaluates exact matches first, then distributes the remaining copies in the answer among the remaining letters in the guess.
One answer copy, two guessed copies
Suppose the answer contains one E but your guess contains two. If one E is green, the other cannot also be gold—the answer’s only E has already been used. If neither is green, only one can become gold. The other will be gray.
Two answer copies
If the answer contains two copies, both can receive clues. A guess with one copy may show only one green or gold clue, while a later guess can reveal the second. Gray never means a letter is impossible in every circumstance; it can also mean that you guessed more copies than the answer contains.
A reliable evaluation method
- Mark every exact-position match green.
- Count the unmatched letters remaining in the answer.
- Move through the unmatched guess letters from left to right.
- Mark a letter gold only while an unmatched copy remains.
Fivefold uses this two-pass process, so repeated letters are never over-counted.
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