We’re in The Simple Things!
Featured in the July 2026 issue - with an instant nerdle to play in print
nerdle: July 2026
Illustration: Gracie Dahl, for The Simple Things
We’re absolutely delighted to feature in the July 2026 edition of The Simple Things - the lovely magazine all about slowing down and savouring life’s small pleasures. In a feature called “The puzzle makers”, writer Ruth Chandler meets the minds behind some of our favourite brain teasers, and nerdle is in wonderful company.
“It’s simple and logical, black and white, and when we solve it, we get that amazing ‘Aha’ moment.”
- Richard Mann, founder of nerdle, in The Simple Things
The story they tell
The piece retells a story that’s very close to our hearts. Back in 2022, stuck in traffic on London’s North Circular, Richard and his daughter Imogen - then 14 and fresh from a hockey match - got talking about the Wordle craze, and wondered why there wasn’t a version for people who love numbers. Within minutes they’d worked out the rules; that evening they tested it on paper to be sure it worked. The idea was simple: guess the hidden eight-digit calculation in six tries, with the tile colours changing after each guess to show how close you are.
Richard’s son Alex (now a Computer Science undergraduate) wrote code that generated 50 years’ worth of daily puzzles, and best friend Marcus built the first version in a single day. Four years on, more than 100,000 people play every day - and the nerdleverse has grown to over 20 free games.
Our favourite line from the interview is about why it strikes a chord: it’s a feelgood thing. Simple, logical, black-and-white - and all about that little ‘Aha’ moment when the sum clicks into place. (Even the tiny tile dance when you solve it gets fan mail. It’s human nature to enjoy a good pat on the back!)
And there’s a nerdle to play in the magazine
Best of all - you can play a nerdle right there on the page. The print edition includes an instant nerdle: a one-guess challenge you can crack with a pen, no phone required. You’ll find it on page 63. If it leaves you wanting more, there’s a fresh instant nerdle online whenever you fancy one - plus 20+ other games across the nerdleverse.
A magazine devoted to two-minute pleasures and everyday joy feels like exactly the right home for a daily puzzle - so a huge thank you to The Simple Things. Interviews by Ruth Chandler; illustrations by Gracie Dahl. Pick up the July 2026 issue, or read the full feature on PressReader (and meet the other puzzle makers too).
Richard (chief nerd!)