Word Heist — crack the daily vault

A free daily safe-cracking word game. Spin five tumbler dials, listen for clicks, and crack the 5-letter vault code before the alarm goes off.

How to play

1. Every day there's one secret 5-letter word — the vault code — hidden behind five tumbler dials.
2. Spin a dial to any letter using the arrows, a swipe, or a key press. Spinning is always free.
3. Listen to the safe (costs alarm): the dial locks 🔒 if the letter is exactly right; ▲ means the true letter is later in the alphabet; ▼ means earlier.
4. Pull the handle once you know the word. Wrong? The alarm spikes and the safe only reveals how many tumblers engaged — never which ones.
5. Alarm at 100% = caught. Crack the vault to keep your daily streak alive.

Rules

• One daily vault for everyone — the same puzzle worldwide, resetting at local midnight.
• Spinning a dial is always free. Listening costs alarm — manage the Vault Security meter carefully.
• A wrong pull spikes the alarm and only tells you how many tumblers engaged (e.g. "3 of 5") — never which dials were right.
• Alarm at 100% ends the heist immediately.
• Safecracker tools (X-ray, Stethoscope, Shim, Intel) are available each for an alarm cost.
• Timed & Practice modes don't affect your daily streak.

Strategy tips

• Listen in the middle of a dial's range to halve it each time — binary search the alphabet to pin a letter in as few listens as possible.
• You don't need all five dials locked. Crack two or three and then scan your vocabulary for words that fit the locked letters plus the remaining ranges.
• Pull only when one word fits the locked letters and open ranges — a wrong pull costs far more alarm than an extra listen.
• Save your tools for the dial that's hardest to pin — a Stethoscope narrowing to 3 letters or a Shim halving the range can break a stalemate cheaply.
• Keep your streak going daily — consistency unlocks achievements like Master Thief.

Frequently asked questions

What is Word Heist?

Word Heist is a free daily safe-cracking word game. Each day there's one secret 5-letter word hidden behind five tumbler dials. Spin a dial, listen for directional feedback (locked, later, or earlier in the alphabet), and crack the code before the alarm reaches 100%.

Is it free?

Completely free. It runs in any browser with no download and no sign-up. Your stats and streak are saved privately on your own device.

How is it different from Wordle?

Word Heist uses a mechanically distinct approach. Instead of guessing whole words and reading colour-coded tiles, you work dial by dial — spinning to a letter and listening for directional feedback. The alarm budget is too tight to brute-force every tumbler, so vocabulary is your real lockpick. It also adds Timed, Hard, and Boss modes, an Archive of past vaults, and safecracker tools.

Can I play past puzzles?

Yes — once you crack today's vault, the Archive unlocks so you can replay any previous daily. Archive runs don't affect your streak.

How does the streak work?

Crack the daily vault each day to grow your streak. Miss a day and it resets. Hit a 7-day streak to unlock the Master Thief achievement.