Word Bulls & Cows
Players take turns in trying to guess each other's word.Description
One player, the Chooser, thinks of a four-letter word and the other player, the Guesser, tries to guess it.At each turn the Guesser tries a four-letter word, and the Chooser says how close it is to the answer by giving:
- The number of Bulls - letters correct in the right position.
- The number of Cows - letters correct but in the wrong position.
Guess: FISH - Reply: 0 bulls, 0 cows.
Guess: VAIN - Reply: 0 bulls, 1 cow.
Guess: LANE - Reply: 2 bulls, 0 cows.
Guess: VILE - Reply: 1 bull, 2 cows.
Guess: LOVE - Reply: 4 bulls, 0 cows!
The Guesser tries to guess the answer in the fewest number of turns.
If either word has repeated letters the rule is that each letter can only count towards the score once, and bulls are counted before cows.
Variations
You can, of course, play the game with any number of letters.
With younger players it's a good idea to disallow repeated letters, as it makes calculating the number of bulls and cows trickier.
To play with numbers try Number Bulls & Cows.