The Wall Is Real - And Normal
It happens to every solver: you're cruising through a puzzle, feeling sharp, and then suddenly - nothing. You stare at the screen. The letters blur. The brain says nope. That’s the block. And it’s not a failure - it’s just a signal. Your mind is temporarily out of strategies.
In games like Lexamid, where the challenge is tight and time-sensitive, it can feel even more annoying. But good news: you don’t need a genius moment to break through. You need a shift.
1. Change Your Focus
If you’ve been staring at the 5-letter word too long, pivot to the 3-letter one. Or look at the 2-letter slot. Sometimes solving a shorter piece helps you mentally unlock the longer ones by process of elimination.
Lexamid’s pyramid format is perfect for this - each word you build reduces the letter pool. That gives your brain fewer things to juggle, and often, a new angle to see a possible answer from. And if using that word makes the puzzle unsolvable, take it out and try another!
2. Physically Step Away
This isn’t just motivational fluff - it’s neuroscience. A short break (even 30 seconds) lets your brain's background processing kick in. Pause the game. Get up. Look out a window. Stretch your arms. When you come back, you’ll often spot something you missed before.
That’s why many speed solvers recommend solving in two passes: the first quick attempt, and a second after stepping away if you stall.
3. Say the Letters Out Loud
Seriously - muttering to yourself helps. Reading the letters aloud or forming partial sounds can trigger new ideas. Your brain responds differently to sound than it does to silent reading. If you’ve ever had a word “click” while whispering nonsense sounds, this is why.
4. Use the “What If” Trick
Pick a random letter and ask: What if this goes at the end? Or: What if it’s the second letter? You’re not trying to guess a word - just trying to move letters into new spots. Often that small rearrangement shakes something loose.
Some solvers go one letter at a time: “What if I build a word with G in the middle?” Treat it like a sandbox, not a test.
5. Be Okay With “Bad” Guesses
Don’t wait for the perfect word. Just try something. Typing out bad guesses helps narrow your thinking. And in a game like Lexamid, there are multiple valid solutions - so “wrong” is often just “not your final version.”
Exploring dead ends helps clear them from your brain. Once you see that “PLODE” isn’t right, you stop circling it in your mind. That’s progress.
The Key: Don’t Panic
A mental block doesn’t mean you’re stuck forever. It just means your brain needs a shift. A tiny one. A sideways nudge. And when that final word does fall into place - even if it took a few tries - it still feels awesome.
So next time you hit that wall, take a breath. Try a new angle. And remember: even the best solvers get stuck. The trick is knowing how to move, not how to avoid the block in the first place.