How to play Shires

The rules

• Type an area name, then choose from the complete list. You have six guesses in total, including the correct one.
• Each wrong guess gives a distance in miles, a compass bearing from that guess towards the answer, and a closeness percentage. Warmer colours mean closer guesses.
• Distances are between area centroids. They are straight-line distances, rather than road distances or gaps between borders.
• Closeness is 100 times one minus the distance divided by 750 miles, rounded and limited to 0-99% for a wrong answer. Only a correct name gets 100%.
• After three wrong guesses, you can take an optional hint telling you the nation: England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
• A repeated area, including an alternative spelling of a previous guess, does not use a guess.

Which boundaries?

We use the ONS December 2025 counties and unitary authorities dataset. This includes English counties and unitary authorities, Scottish council areas, Welsh unitary authorities and Northern Irish districts. Historic and ceremonial counties can have different boundaries. Islands belonging to an area stay in its outline. Shapes retain their proportions and face north, but their position and scale are hidden.

The week

Monday to Wednesday use a curated set of larger, familiar areas. Thursday to Saturday can use any area. Sunday uses smaller areas from the lower 35% by area. No area appears again within 120 days.

Scoring

Find the answer for 1,000 points, minus 150 for each wrong guess before your solve and 100 if you take the nation hint. A sixth-guess solve with a hint earns 150 points. If you use all six guesses without finding it, or choose Reveal and finish, you score 0. There is no speed bonus.

Reading your bearings

An NE arrow means the answer's centroid is north-east of your guess's centroid. Try a place in that direction, then compare the new mileage. Nearby borders can still have distant centroids, especially for large or island areas.

Names and keyboard controls

Use the arrow keys to move through suggestions, Enter to choose one, then Enter again to guess. Escape closes the list. Welsh names from the dataset and common alternative spellings are accepted. Accents, case and punctuation do not matter.

The reveal

At the end, the UK map highlights the answer and every guessed area. Numbered markers match your guess list. A short fact uses the administrative type, nation and approximate area from the data. The last seven closed puzzles can be replayed as unranked practice.

Past answers are in the Shires answers archive. Explore the other daily games or read the data credits.

Frequently asked questions

Does Shires use historic counties?

It uses ONS December 2025 administrative counties and unitary authorities, including council areas in Scotland, unitary authorities in Wales and districts in Northern Ireland. These can differ from historic and ceremonial counties.

Which way does the arrow point?

From your guessed area's centroid towards the answer's centroid. North is always at the top of the outline.

Does a hint cost a guess?

No. The optional nation hint unlocks after three wrong guesses and costs 100 points if you solve.

Is Shires free?

Yes. It runs in your browser without an account or installation. A new outline arrives at midnight UK time.

Can an area repeat?

An area can appear again, but there are always at least 120 days between its appearances.