Jotto

About this board game

Jotto is a two-player word deduction game that takes about 20 minutes, first released in 1956. Each player secretly chooses a five-letter word and writes it down so the other player cannot see it.

The hidden word should appear in the dictionary, and letters may repeat. Players take turns announcing a test word. The other player then reveals how many letters in the test word are also found in their secret word.

Each matching letter is called a jot. Players record the number of jots for each test word, building a collection of clues about the opponent’s hidden answer. The challenge is to use those results carefully rather than relying on a single guess.

• For 2 players
• About 20 minutes to play
• Five-letter secret words
• Dictionary words with repeating letters allowed
• Turn-based guessing and jot-count deduction

With every announced word, Jotto provides another numerical clue. A test word may reveal how many of its letters overlap with the secret word, helping narrow the possibilities as the game continues.

Players win the information battle by interpreting their recorded jot counts and using them to identify the opponent’s word. Simple rules make the central idea easy to understand, while the hidden information gives each turn a clear purpose.