Rules
How to Play Spotle
Name the mystery artist in ten guesses. Each guess paints six clues.
Updated 2026-11-13
The public How to play panel says "Guess the artist in 10 tries." You type an artist. The row that comes back has six tiles: Debut, Members, Popularity, Gender, Genre and Nationality. Green means an exact hit. Yellow means close. Gray means no match. Arrows point toward the answer: up means later, hotter or higher; down means earlier, cooler or lower.
What each clue means
| Clue | Exact (green) | Close (yellow) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debut | Same year | A nearby year, with an arrow | First studio album. If there is no album, the first mixtape or EP. Not the first single. |
| Members | Same count | A nearby count, with an arrow | Iconic lineup for groups. A solo act reads Solo. |
| Popularity | Same rank | A nearby rank, with an arrow | Ranked by historical Spotify streams. The panel text still says Drake is #1. The card on 13 Nov 2026 showed Drake at #2. |
| Gender | Same label | No close state described | Male, Female, Mixed, or Nonbinary. |
| Genre | Same genre | No close state. Genre is exact. | One genre per artist. The panel lists 13. A Burna Boy card also showed African. |
| Nationality | Same country | Same continent, different country | Country name on the card, such as UK or USA. |
Hint, Archive, and the other modes
- After six wrong guesses you unlock one free hint. You pick one of three. It does not spend a guess. Examples on the panel include a collaborator or a Grammy note.
- Archive replays the last 50 days. The page title is "Play the Last 50 Days".
- The music game has no Give up button. Spotle Movies does. Those are different products. See the movie rules.
- Brackets is a weekly vote on 32 songs across five rounds. It is not a way to guess the daily artist.
- Unshuffle is a daily 4 by 4 song puzzle, 16 pieces. The public name is Unshuffle, not Shuffle.
- Spotle Jam is a three-minute timed run. Create lets you pick an artist and a hint to send to a friend.
The puzzle resets at midnight Eastern Time. On 13 Nov 2026 the public countdown pointed to 05:00 UTC; Gfinity describes local midnight instead. This guide follows the dated official countdown. If you want a method rather than the rule list, read how to narrow an artist or filter cards in the solver. All 14 genre labels are on the genre page.
FAQ
How does Spotle work?
You guess a music artist up to ten times. Six clues come back green, yellow, or gray, and some yellow tiles add an arrow.
What does yellow mean in Spotle?
Yellow means close: a nearby debut year, member count, or popularity rank, or the same continent with a different country. Genre has no yellow state.
What do the arrows mean?
Up points toward a later debut, more members, or a more popular artist. A more popular artist has a lower numerical rank. Down points in the opposite direction.
Is debut the year the group formed?
No. Spotle uses the first studio album, or a first mixtape or EP where there is no album. A formation date can be earlier.
Does Spotle have past games?
The official Archive offers the last 50 days. Our archive lists only dates with sourced answers.
When does Spotle reset?
The dated public countdown used midnight Eastern Time on 13 Nov 2026. One media guide describes local midnight, so check the countdown on the official game for your next puzzle.
Who created Spotle?
Tommy and Paul have said they made the game. Flatwhite Studios, LLC, in Dearborn, Michigan, operates spotle.io.
Can I give up on Spotle music?
The music game shows no Give up button. You can leave the puzzle and come back, or open Archive for an older day. Spotle Movies does have Give up.
Sources
| Source | Checked |
|---|---|
| Gfinity rules and reset description | 2026-11-13 |
| Spotle public game, How to play and Attributes | 2026-11-13 |
| Spotle Archive | 2026-11-13 |
| Spotle Unshuffle | 2026-11-13 |
| Spotle Brackets | 2026-11-13 |
| Creator thread on Reddit | 2026-11-13 |