Bracket City
One sentence, full of clues in brackets, some tucked inside others. In Bracket City you solve the inner clues first, and each answer fills in more of the sentence.
Opens the real game on theatlantic.com. Free, in a new tab.
- Made by
- Ben Gross, published by The Atlantic
- Clues
- Brackets inside a sentence, some nested in others
- Archive
- Every puzzle back to January 2025
- New puzzle
- Every day
- Price
- Free
- Category
- Word games, meaning and clues
How to play Bracket City
- Find the innermost brackets
Clues that have no other bracket inside them can be solved right away. They are highlighted.
- Type the answer
A right answer replaces its bracket with the word, and that word may finish a bigger clue around it.
- Work outward
Keep solving until every bracket is gone and the full sentence can be read. The finished text makes sense on its own, so the words around a bracket are a clue too.
Why Bracket City is different from a crossword
Bracket City from The Atlantic gives you one sentence instead of a grid. Parts of the sentence are hidden behind clues in square brackets, and some clues sit inside other clues. Solving an inner clue drops its answer into the outer one, so the puzzle opens up from the middle outward. It was created by game designer Ben Gross.
Getting unstuck without the answers
When people search for Bracket City hints or answers, they are usually stuck on one bracket. Before looking anything up, try these steps.
- Go back to the innermost brackets. The game highlights clues that have nothing nested inside them, and those are always the place to start.
- Read the sentence out loud with a blank where the bracket is. The words around it often tell you if the answer is a name, a verb or a place.
- Solve a different branch. Finishing another part of the sentence can give the stuck clue its missing word.
The Bracket City archive
Missed a day? Past puzzles go back to January 2025 and are free to play. The archive is a good place to learn how the clues tend to be written before you try today's.
Bracket City tips
- Read the whole passage before you start. The topic of the sentence often gives away the last answers.
- Short clues like abbreviations or fill in the blank phrases are the fastest wins, so do them first.
- If a bracket feels impossible, solve the clues inside it first. They often change what it means.
Bracket City questions
Do I have to solve the brackets in order?
No. Any bracket with nothing nested inside it can be solved, in any order. The highlighted ones are ready.
Who makes Bracket City?
It was created by game designer Ben Gross and is published by The Atlantic.
Can I play old Bracket City puzzles?
Yes. Past puzzles back to January 2025 can be played.
Facts checked on 2026-11-03. Bracket City belongs to The Atlantic. Megadle is not linked to it.