How to play Heightle
Heightle is a free daily estimation game. Each day there's one unit of measure, like a soda can, a tennis ball or a hockey puck, and five things to measure with it. Your job is to guess how many of that unit, stacked straight up on top of each other, would match each thing's height. You never see a number or a ruler. It's all in your sense of scale.
One unit, five objects
1. Meet today's unit. The homepage shows the unit for the day. Everyone in the world gets the same unit and the same five objects, so you can compare scores with friends.
2. Guess the stack. For each object, type how many units tall it is. If a unit needs to stand a certain way, like a pencil on its end or a credit card on its short side, the round tells you.
3. Beat the clock. You get 20 seconds per object by default. You can switch to 40 seconds or turn the timer off on the homepage. If the clock runs out, that round scores zero.
4. See how close you were. After each guess, Heightle shows two bars: your guess and the real answer. Then it's on to the next object.
5. Finish with a landmark. The first four objects are everyday things of a similar size: animals, vehicles, furniture, sports gear. The fifth is something huge, like the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramid, and it's worth double points.
How points work
Scoring is by percentage, so a guess of 110 when the answer is 100 earns the same as a guess of 11 when the answer is 10. The landmark round is doubled (up to 200), so the best possible day is 600 points.
Ranks. Your total earns a rank for the day: Toppled (under 150), Wobbly (150+), Steady Hand (300+), Tall Order (420+), Skyscraper (520+) and, for a flawless 600, Perfect Stack.
Streaks. Play every day to build a streak. Your streak, best score and history are saved in your browser on this device.
A worked round
Say today's unit is a soda can and the object is a standard door.
A soda can is a little shorter than your hand is long. Picture cans stacked from the floor up to your knee: about four. Up to your waist: about eight. A door is a bit taller than a tall adult, so roughly twice waist height, plus a can or two for the extra headroom. That's a guess of about 17.
The real answer is about 16.6 cans. A guess of 17 rounds to the right whole number, so it scores a perfect 100. A guess of 15 would be within 10% for 80 points, and a guess of 25 would be about 50% off for 20 points.
Tips to score higher
Use your answers as a ruler. Each reveal tells you exactly how many units tall something is. If a horse was 13 cans, a camel (a bit taller) is probably 17 or 18.
Measure against your own body. Count units up to your knee or waist first, then multiply. Most people know their own height better than any object's.
Mind the tiny units. Small units like a hockey puck or an AA battery make big numbers fast. A person is well over 30 AA batteries tall.
Switch scales for the landmark. The last round is a different world. Work it out in steps: how many units tall is a person, how many people tall is a 10-story building (about 18), and how many of those make the landmark?
Don't overthink it. Being within 10% still earns 80 points, so a quick, sensible guess beats a slow perfect one when the clock is running.
Frequently asked questions
Is Heightle free?
Yes. There's no account, no download and nothing to buy. Heightle is supported by ads.
When does the new puzzle come out?
A new unit and five new objects arrive every day at midnight, your local time.
Why can't I see the real sizes?
That's the challenge. You estimate from pictures and your own sense of scale, the way you'd eyeball it in real life. The answers are shown after each guess.
Where do the answers come from?
Heights come from regulation sizes for sports gear (a regulation basketball hoop is 10 feet to the rim), standard sizes for everyday items (a standard door is 80 inches), published specifications for vehicles and landmarks, and averages for people and animals. Animals are measured at the shoulder unless the round says otherwise.
Real things vary in size. Isn't that unfair?
That's why scoring uses percentages and gives partial credit all the way out to 50% off. You don't need the exact number, just a good sense of scale.
Which way do the units stack?
Straight up, one directly on top of another. Round things like balls touch top to bottom. If the direction matters (a pencil on its end, a dollar bill on its short edge), the round says so.
Can I play more than once a day?
The daily puzzle can be played once so scores are fair to compare. Practice mode gives you unlimited random rounds that don't affect your streak.
What does the ⏱️ in a shared score mean?
It shows the player used the 40-second timer or no timer instead of the standard 20 seconds.
I lost my streak after clearing my browser. Can I get it back?
Unfortunately not. Heightle has no accounts, so your streak and stats only live in your browser's storage on that device.
Can I suggest a unit or object?
Yes, please do! Email playheightle@gmail.com with your idea.