Vault #16: Plus, Plus, Circle, Square, Star — the solution

The Vault code from August 30, 2026: 5 symbols from a palette of 5, nine guesses, par 5. Below, the code and a crack that keeps only what fits.

The puzzle

A code 5 symbols long, each drawn from square, circle, plus, diamond and star — repeats allowed. Every guess comes back as three counts: exact (right symbol, right slot), near (right symbol, within one slot of where it was played) and far (in the code, but wider away).

The walkthrough

The strategy the help sheet teaches: after each answer, keep every code that still fits every count so far, and guess one of them. Par was measured the same way, so a clean run lands on it or just under. Here it takes 4 guesses, 1 under par.

1. square, square, circle, circle, plus — 1 exact, 0 near, 2 far. 3,125 codes fit before this guess; 200 fit after it.
2. square, plus, star, star, square — 1 exact, 2 near, 0 far. 200 codes fit before this guess; 17 fit after it.
3. diamond, star, plus, circle, square — 0 exact, 3 near, 1 far. 17 codes fit before this guess; 1 fit after it.
4. plus, plus, circle, square, star — 5 exact — cracked.

The answer

The code was plus, plus, circle, square, star — the plus twice.

Previous: Vault #15 (Sat, Aug 29) · Next: Vault #17 (Mon, Aug 31)

About Vault

Vault is Noggin’s daily code to crack: a hidden code, nine guesses, and three counts back from each one. Par is what a careful solver needs. How to play Vault, or play today’s.