How to Play 5 Clues

Overview

5 Clues is a progressive trivia game where you identify a famous person from up to five increasingly specific clues. The earlier you guess correctly, the more points you earn. The challenge is deciding when you have enough information to commit — guess too early and you might be wrong; wait too long and you lose points.

The game features 50 well-known personalities from sport, music, film, history, science and business. Every session draws 10 at random — no two games are the same.

Step-by-step guide

1. 1
   Choose solo or multiplayer

   In Solo mode, play through 10 people at your own pace. In Multiplayer, both players see the same 10 people from a shared seed. Each player progresses through clues independently — you don't wait for your opponent between clues.
2. 2
   Read the first clue

   The first clue is deliberately vague — a broad fact that could apply to many people. For example: 'This person was born in the United States in the 1950s and is considered one of the greatest of all time in their field.'
3. 3
   Type your guess and press Submit

   Enter your answer in the text field and press Submit. Spelling doesn't need to be perfect — the game uses fuzzy matching that tolerates typos, missing accents and common nickname variations.
4. 4
   Wrong guess — get the next clue

   If wrong, a second clue appears, giving more specific information. You can continue guessing (up to 3 total attempts) or click Next Clue at any time without using an attempt — useful when you want more information before committing.
5. 5
   Score more points by guessing early

   Correct answers on earlier clues earn more points. The maximum is 500 points for a correct guess on clue 1 — this decreases by 100 with each clue. Exhausting all 3 attempts or all 5 clues without a correct answer gives 0 points for that round.
6. 6
   See the reveal and move on

   After each round — whether you guessed correctly or not — the person is fully revealed with their photo, name and a short biography. Then the next person begins.

Scoring

Accepted answers

The answer checker uses fuzzy matching. You don't need perfect spelling:

• "Ronaldo", "ronaldu" and "CR7" are all accepted for Cristiano Ronaldo.
• Missing accents are ignored — "Beyonce" works as well as "Beyoncé".
• Common nicknames are recognised — "Pelé", "Pele" and "Pele" all work.
• Last name alone is accepted for most celebrities — "Einstein", "Musk", "Federer".

Tips to score higher

• Use Next Clue strategically — you can skip a clue without wasting an attempt when the first clue is too vague.
• Think about the combination of facts. Two or three clues together usually narrow it down significantly.
• If you recognise the description pattern — nationality + decade + field — commit your guess before clue 3 to protect your points.
• In multiplayer, speed matters too — your opponent may be further ahead on the same person.