CS50 Puzzle Day Introduction/FAQ

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Instructions

• Format: There are eight (8) regular puzzles for you to solve plus one (1) metapuzzle. 

• The answer to each of the regular puzzles is a single word or phrase. Each regular puzzle stands alone and can be solved independently of the other regular puzzles. 
• You’ll need to use the answers to the eight regular puzzles in order to solve the one metapuzzle. The more regular puzzles you solve, the easier the metapuzzle becomes! We recommend solving at least 6 regular puzzles before attempting the metapuzzle.
• You should never have to brute-force, randomly anagram, or read any code in order to solve any of the puzzles. Each puzzle in the hunt is unique and usually has a specific or clever insight needed to solve. Once you deduce or organize the patterns within the puzzle, you should be able to extract a clear word or phrase from the puzzle. Puzzles won't necessarily come with clear instructions; it's up to you to figure out what the puzzle wants from you! If you're new to puzzles and puzzle hunts, you can read more about them at blog.vero.site/post/puzzlehunts. See cs50.ly/practice for a prior puzzle (and solution), if you'd like practice.
• Please refrain from trying to hack, programmatically interact with or read the source code of any of the puzzles in this hunt: they won't help you solve any of the puzzles, nor do you need to do so. We may choose to block or disqualify any teams which actively or repeatedly break these rules.
• Story text, which appears in italics, generally below the titles of puzzles, is part of the background story and theme of the hunt. You don't need the story text to solve any of the puzzles, but it can be helpful when solving them.  
• Feel free to use any tools you have available, including searching the internet to help you solve any of the puzzles in the hunt. You may also use AI-based software like ChatGPT; you are not restricted to using CS50's own AI-based software. Puzzles sometimes use codes or ciphers for letters of the alphabet. We've given you a code sheet below: the sheet itself is not a puzzle.
• Remember that everything, including the title, can be a hint to the solution to a puzzle!

Ready?

• For all puzzles, head to the puzzles page!
• Have fun, no matter how many puzzles you solve or don't solve! 

FAQ

What kind of puzzles should I expect? How do I solve puzzles?

All regular puzzles in this hunt have a single word or phrase as the answer. Each regular puzzle stands alone and can be solved independently of the other regular puzzles. You should never have to brute force, randomly anagram, or read any code in order to solve any of the puzzles. 

Each puzzle in the hunt is unique, and usually has a specific or clever insight needed to solve. Once you deduce or organize the patterns within the puzzle, you should be able to extract a clear word or phrase from the puzzle. Puzzles come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, won't necessarily come with clear instructions; it's up to you to figure out what the puzzle wants from you! If you're new to puzzles and puzzlehunts, you can read more about them here.

We also have a practice puzzle, including a solution, from an old CS50 Puzzlehunt. You can try it out here!

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How do I know if I got it right?

This website hosts the puzzles, but doesn't provide any answer checking functionality.

Is this page or the Story page a puzzle?

No.

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