Limina

Example: hidden word is GLIDE

Let's say your guess is BAGEL. The letters G, E, and L are in the hidden word. Your clue will reveal the order in which the three letters occur in the hidden word, looking like this:

So G·E means G comes before E; G·L means G comes before L. As you've probably figured, E·L means L comes before E in the hidden word.

This does not tell you where exactly the letters appear in the hidden word. It only tells you the relative placing of the letters.

Neither does it mean that the letters are right next to each other. For example, G is not next to E in GLIDE. All you know is that G appears earlier than E in the word.

What if only one letter in your guess is in the hidden word?

Let's say you guess STAKE. Even though E appears in the hidden word, you will not receive a clue. You need at least two letters for the game to give you the relative order.

What if a letter occurs more than once in the hidden word?

Let's say the hidden word is STOUT, and your guess is ROUTE.

O·U means O comes before U. O·T means O comes before and after T. The same applies to U·T: U comes before and after T.

The clues do not tell you whether letters are repeated in the hidden word. However, the purple clues reveal that one of them has to be!