A crossword that sings
SUR PAHELI
सुर पहेली · the riddle of notesEvery word is music — a mode, a raga, a taal, a cadence, a composer. Hear the clue, then write it in: if the answer is Dorian, it plays the Dorian. Slide the puzzle from Bach to Bhairav, and from melody to rhythm to harmony — the words and the whole room change with you.
Tune the puzzle the words, the sound and the room follow the sliders
In this puzzle: MOHANAM · ADI · KONNAKOL · VEENA · TYAGARAJA …
Who is playing
Take turns: pick any clue and write the whole word. Right — it's yours, score its length and go again. Wrong — the turn passes.
Open a room and send its word. Everyone solves the same grid, taking turns.
Got a word from a friend?
How you play
More options
How it plays readable before you begin
| Y | A | M | A | N |
| E | A | |||
| E | D | |||
| K | A | N | A | |
| D |
- Across 1 — Evening raga with tivra Ma (5). Tap ▶ and it plays up and down on Sa = G, with the tanpura.
- Down 2 — Slow glide between swaras (5). ▶ plays a glide from Ga up to Pa.
- Down 3 — Sound as the divine; ___ Brahma (4).
- Across 4 — Grace touch of a neighbouring swara (3).
The tradition slider runs from Western Classical through Jazz & Modern to Carnatic and Hindustani, like the slider on quiz.nathanielschool.com. The texture triangle leans the words towards melody (modes, ragas, ornaments), rhythm (taals, grooves, tempo) or harmony (chords, cadences). Between them they choose the words from a bank of more than 800 — and repaint the room: staff lines by candlelight, a smoky jazz club, a kolam on the temple floor, a lamplit arch hung with ghungroo.
Just me: race the clock; a helping letter adds time. Same device: two to four take turns claiming whole words — right scores the word's length and you go again, wrong passes the turn. Online room: everyone solves the same grid, turn by turn. Ears asks by sound alone: Ears 1 intervals and basic scales, Ears 2 modes and ragas, Ears 3 chords, cadences, taals and grooves, Ears 4 everything — melakartas and ornaments too. All the music is on G, played live in your browser.