Jotto is a word game for two players where one chooses a secret word and the other player guesses it through logical deductions. The game is played with four or five-letter words, but can be simplified for children with three-letter words. The game involves building a diagram and scoring columns to keep track of guesses. The game can end when all rows on the sheet are filled or when the word is guessed. It can be an educational game for young children.
Jotto is a pen and paper word game for two players, It, who chooses a secret word, and the other player whose goal is to ascertain the word through a sequence of guesses and logical deductions. Jotto is best played with four- or five-letter words, but three-letter words can be used for novice players or children to familiarize themselves with the game, and longer words are used for enthusiasts.
Getting ready to play Jotto
The first steps in playing Jotto are for it to choose a secret word and build a diagram. The diagram has three parts. To the left, across the page, are contiguous columns for the letters of the secret word. A space divides this by two scoring columns, which may be marked R for Right and RP for Right Place, although exactly what information is given and how it is called varies. Horizontal lines are drawn on both sets of columns, forming boxes in which to write hypotheses and evaluate them. To the side or below, where convenient, is written a complete alphabet which the diviner can mark to show the letters that have been dropped and those that are definitely in the word.
Playing Jotto
The fortune teller can tell from the diagram how many letters the secret word has. On each turn, the guesser writes a word with that number of letters and with no repeating letters on the top available row in the diagram. She indicates on the R and RP side both how many letters are correct and how many letters are in the right place. With this method, R should always be greater than or equal to RP. In some versions of the game, R only means correct letters and not in the right place. Players must have a mutual understanding of the scoring system in use.
The guesser usually takes a few moments to absorb the feedback from the score columns, then offers another guess, writing a word on the next available row, which is then scored by It. The game can end when all rows on the sheet are been filled in or may continue until the word is guessed, depending on the situation. In both cases, when the game is over, the secret word is revealed and the players switch roles.
Playing Jotto with small children
Jotto can be an educational game for young children who can write a variety of three letter words. As you play, you can simplify the game and teach them for the future:
writing down their hypotheses for them
talk through each conclusion and what it means
showing them ways to mark letters that are definitely in the right place, for example, by circling them
helping them with strategic approaches, such as using an unlikely word to eliminate letters.
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