Countdown Solver
Countdown is a long-running British TV game show with two kinds of rounds: build the longest possible word out of nine letters, and use six numbers to reach a target. This free solver handles both, so you can practice the format at home or in class.
Opens Unscramble Words 4U, our free word-puzzle site, in a new tab. Free, with no sign-up.
What it does
The letters half takes up to nine letters and lists the words they make, longest first; using all nine is the dream, though eight is still excellent. No letters handy? The tool can deal a random set with three, four or five vowels.
The numbers half takes six numbers and a target. Using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, where every step must land on a positive whole number, it searches for an exact answer in as few steps as possible. If the target can’t be reached, it shows the nearest total and the gap to the target. Every line of the work combines two numbers into a new one, so students can follow and check every move. That makes it just as useful for mental math as for vocabulary.
How to use it
- For a letters round, type nine letters in the letters box, or choose a number of vowels (3, 4 or 5) and press Pick random letters.
- Set the Dictionary to US to leave out British-only spellings, or choose UK, Both or another language.
- For a numbers round, type in six numbers plus a three-digit target, or choose how many large numbers you want (0 to 4) and press Pick random numbers.
- Press Solve to see the work. Read each line as one small calculation that feeds into the next.
- Repeat with new letters or numbers for quick practice rounds.
More tips
- In the numbers round, aim first for a multiple of a big number that lands near the target, then use the small ones to make up the difference.
Ideas for the classroom and homeschool
- Grades 3–5Run a numbers round as a math warm-up: generate the numbers, give students two minutes on whiteboards, then reveal the solver’s work and compare strategies.
- Grades 4–7Play a class letters round with random letters. Students earn a point per letter in their longest valid word, then check against the solver’s list.
- Grades 6–8Use the step-by-step work to discuss order of operations: how would you write the whole solution as a single expression with parentheses?
- Grades 9–12Challenge students to find a target that can’t be reached exactly from a given set, then justify why, using the closest result as evidence.
Learning a language? Take the challenge
Studying another language? Switch the Dictionary to it and play the letters round there instead. The word site’s games can use word lists in 21 languages, and its pages are translated into 15 – a quick, low-pressure way to grow vocabulary in Spanish, French, German and more.
Questions
What is Countdown?
A British TV quiz show built around a letters round and a numbers round, played against the clock. You don’t need to have seen it – the solver works as a standalone word and math practice tool.
What are the rules for the numbers?
Use any of the six numbers, each no more than once, with the four basic operations. Every intermediate answer must be a positive whole number.
What if the target is impossible?
You’ll get the nearest reachable total, the size of the gap and the full work.
How are random letters chosen?
You decide the number of vowels and consonants fill the remaining slots. The draw is weighted to resemble a physical pile of letter tiles, so common ones such as E and T show up more often.
Opens Unscramble Words 4U, our free word-puzzle site, in a new tab. Free, with no sign-up.
Countdown is a UK television program. Classfern and Unscramble Words 4U are independent and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Channel 4 or the show’s makers.