Next in Line is a free daily number sequence puzzle. A line of numbered tickets follows a rule, like the tickets from a take-a-number machine that has gone a little strange: 3, 6, 12, 24… One ticket is blank. Find the rule, type the missing number and press OK. Monday has simple rules such as “add 3 each time.” By Friday the blank can sit in the middle of the line, two rules can take turns, and squares, cubes and prime numbers appear.
No sign-up and nothing to install. It runs in your browser on a computer or a phone, and your progress is saved on your device.
- Five lines a day. Each line has its own rule.
- Type the answer. There are no choices to guess from.
- The rule is explained. After a right answer the game tells you the rule in words.
- Stuck? The lightbulb shows the step from each number to the next. A second press tells you the rule.
How to play Next in Line
- Read the numbers on the tickets from left to right.
- Work out how you get from one number to the next.
- Type the number of the blank ticket with the keys on the screen or on your keyboard.
- Press OK. Then press the arrow to go to the next line.
What you see
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| White tickets | The numbers of the line, in order. |
| Yellow ticket | The blank one. Your answer appears on it as you type. |
| Bars above the line | The five lines of the day. Green is done, orange is the open one. |
| Small dark signs | The step from one number to the next. They appear with the lightbulb and after a right answer. |
| Blue and red tickets | Two lines that take turns. The colors appear with the lightbulb. |
| Green arrow | Goes to the next line after a right answer. |
Tips for number sequences
- Write down the steps. Take the difference between each number and the next. If the steps are all the same, you are done.
- Look at the steps as a line of their own. Steps of +2, +4, +6 grow by 2. Steps of +1, +2, +4, +8 double.
- Try multiplying. If the numbers grow fast, divide each number by the one before. A steady answer such as 2 or 3 is the rule.
- Check every second number. When the line jumps up and down, two lines may be taking turns.
- Remember the famous lines. Squares (1, 4, 9, 16), cubes (1, 8, 27), primes (2, 3, 5, 7, 11) and sums of the two numbers before (1, 2, 3, 5, 8) show up later in the week.
How the week gets harder
| Day | Rules you meet | Blank ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Add or subtract the same number, double, steps that grow | At the end |
| Tuesday | Larger steps, two steps in turn, times 3 or square numbers | At the end |
| Wednesday | Up and down steps, “times 2, then add”, sums of the two before, two lines in turn | At the end |
| Thursday | “Times 2, then add or subtract”, prime numbers, steps that double | In the middle in two lines |
| Friday | All of the above, cube numbers, a doubling line mixed with an adding line | In the middle in three or four lines |
Saturday plays like a Wednesday and Sunday like a Tuesday.
Frequently asked questions
Is Next in Line free?
Yes. There is no account, no download and no paywall.
Can a line have more than one answer?
Every line is made from one clear rule, and the answer is the number that rule gives. Sometimes two ways of seeing the rule lead to the same number. For example, “times 2, minus 2” and “steps that double” describe the same line.
What happens when my answer is wrong?
The game adds 10 seconds to your time and you try again.
What does the hint do?
The first press shows the step from each number to the next, except next to the blank ticket. The second press tells you the rule in words.
Do I need to know prime numbers?
Only on Thursday and Friday. A prime number can be divided only by 1 and by itself: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 and so on.
Can I use the keyboard?
Yes. Click the game once, then type the digits and press Enter. Backspace erases. Enter also goes to the next line.
When do the new lines appear?
At midnight in your local time.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes. Open the calendar button at the top of the game and pick any day from the past eight weeks.
More to play on WiseChecker
- Browser Games: every WiseChecker game in one place.
- Clean Desk: remember the desk and find what is gone.
- No Blind Spots: place cameras so that no square is a blind spot.
- Cell Value: find the number behind every letter.
- File Pairs: turn over two cards and find the pairs.