by Lilly Boneva
If you are new to puzzle hunts or want to read about 5 things we learned after solving 1k+ puzzles – start with this post 🙂
But if you are already hooked, I am sure you’ve pretty soon realized that having the appropriate toolbox is essential to manipulating data, saving time, minimizing errors, and fostering puzzle-solving collaboration.
So here’s our team’s list of useful tools & resources, grouped by case/puzzle type:
🧩🧰 Absolutely Essential Tools:
- Google: Google-ing words in groups is a good technique for you to find out a topic/connection you may not be familiar with or you cannot spot immediately. Google! Google everything! Google everything in groups!
- Wikis: Wikipedia is often considered as a canonical source of information for puzzle hunts, as creators often need to lead you to an official, unchanging, and easy to find resource. Other platforms with detailed user-generated content on specific topics like Fandom are also frequently used for puzzle hunts.
- Sheets: Google Sheets is the go-to tool for many teams because it allows online collaboration, usage of formulas, data organization and reordering etc. Here are two resources which can up your Sheets game with named functions, practical advice, formatting tips, and much more:
- Jonah Ostroff’s Google Sheets Puzzle Tricks [⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = very useful]
- Useful Sheets Formulas
🔎🔠 Finding Words & Phrases from Partial Information:
- OneLook [⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐] – consult the FAQ for notations
- Nutrimatic [⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐] – consult the user guide to learn about this powerful tool!
- Qat – review the examples, since there are a lot of ways qat can help
- Phonetic Search
🖼️🎨 Image & Color Search / Identification:
- Google Lens / Reverse Image Search
- Search by Image Chrome Extension
- TinyEye Browser Extension
- ColorPick Eyedropper Chrome Extension – find the RGB/HEX values of a color
🔒🔑 Ciphers. Codes & Decryption:
- dCode [⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐] – various ciphers and encryptions including cipher identifier
- Puzzle Pint’s Cheat Sheet for simple ciphers
- Common Ciphers
- ROT Cipher Decryption
- ASCII / Binary Decryption
- Substitution Cipher Solver
- Rumkin Cipher Tools
- Geocaching Toolbox
- List of Basic Encodings
- Puzzle Sidekick (iOS App)
- Puzzlehunt Assistant (Android App)
⬛⬜ Crosswords:
- XWord
- OneAcross
- Transfer Crossword Image to Google Sheets
- Crossword Tracker
- Solving Diagramless Crosswords by Roy Leban
- Google-ing a clue along with “crossword clue” at the end
🤔✍ Cryptic Crosswords:
🔀🔁 Anagraming:
🧠💡 Logic Puzzles:
- Noq Logic Puzzle Solver (like Sudoku, Slitherlink, Nurikabe, etc.)
- Nikoli Logic Puzzle Solver
- Einstein’s Grid Puzzle Helper by Johannes Singler
🎵🎥 Audio, Music & Movies Search:
- Shazam Song Identificator
- Chosic Song Title Search
- Audacity Free Audio Editing Tool
- IMDB Advanced Movie Title Search
- IMDB Common Actors Search
🛠️⚙️ Other Useful Tools & Resources:
- Drop Quote Solver by cjquines
- Quipqiup & Decrypto Cryptogram Solvers by Edwin Olson
- Acronyms Helper
- Wolfram Alpha for math problems
- Printer’s Devilry Explained
- Sets of Things by Lewis Chen
- NPL Flats Explained
- Flag Identifier
- US States Abbreviations
- Chemical Elements List
📝📂 Lists of Tools & Resources Compiled by Others:
- Puzzle Tools & How-To’s suggested by MITMH Club
- Puzzle Solving Resources on Puzzle Wiki
- Puzzle Resources by Puzzle’s Are Magic’s
- Tools for solving and construction by @mysteryleague
- Tools by Dany Qumsiyeh
- util.in
Please contact us if you have/know a great tool, which deserves to be added to this list!
And check out this YT video on tools that cypherhouse recorded, inspired by my comment. 🙏
Cheers!