What is the answer to rule 23 in the password games?

Count every E in your password, uppercase and lowercase, then type that number as digits somewhere in the password. The trick is that digits are not the letter E, so adding the count does not change the count. Count once, type the number, done, unless you later add words containing E.

What if my E count is the digit I exiled in rule 19?

You cannot type the exiled digit, so change the count instead. Add one E somewhere harmless or remove one, shifting the count to a neighboring number you are allowed to type. Then update the written count and rebalance your Scrabble score, since each E is worth 1 point.

Directive 23: Count the E's (Hints & Answer)

Hint first (no full spoiler): The Committee demands a census of your most popular letter, filed in numerals.

Directive 23 orders a census. Your password must contain, written as digits, the number of times the letter E appears in it. The count is case-insensitive: E and e both register. If the password holds four E’s, the digit 4 must appear somewhere in it. The Committee enjoys this one because it sounds like a paradox. It is not, and here is why.

The full solution

The apparent trap: “if I type the count into the password, doesn’t that change the password, which changes the count?” No. You are typing digits, and digits are not the letter E. Adding a 4 to a password with four E’s leaves it a password with four E’s, now correctly labeled. The self-reference is stable.

The procedure:

Count your E’s. Slowly. Include the uppercase E if Directive 22 put one at the front, include E’s inside earlier answers, include everything. Miscounting is the number one cause of DENIED here.
Type the count as digits anywhere in the password. 4, 12, whatever it is.
If the count is a multi-digit number, every digit of it must survive your rule 19 exile. A count of 17 with 7 exiled is just as illegal as a count of 7.

The exiled digit problem deserves its own drill. Suppose you exiled 4 in Directive 19 and now count exactly four E’s. You cannot type 4. So move the count instead:

Add one E in some harmless letter cluster: four becomes five, and you type 5.
Or remove one E: four becomes three, and you type 3.

Either way, update the written digit and remember the ripple: E is a 1-point letter, so Directive 21 shifts by 1. Pair the edit. Add an E, delete another 1-point letter; or remove an E, add a different 1-point letter. Count moves, score holds.

Example fragments:

Apple3Ted (E’s: one in Apple, one in Ted, total 2… but the fragment says 3. DENIED. Correct it to Apple2Ted, which changes the label and not the census: recount before you trust any example, including ours.)
Even4tree (E’s: Even has two, tree has two, total 4, digit 4 present. APPROVED.)
Icy0man (zero E’s, digit 0 present. Legal, and a tidy trick: an E-free password labeled 0 never drifts.)

That last pattern is the pro move. If you can hold the count at a number that is easy to maintain, the rule goes quiet.

What breaks later

Any future word you add is a threat. This rule does not break when you type digits; it breaks when you type vocabulary. Every “new,” “tree,” or “vault” you append changes the census. After any letter edit anywhere, recount.
Directive 21 is chained to every E adjustment, as above. Never touch an E without a compensating 1-point edit.
Directive 22 interacts once: if you opened the password with a capital E, it is in the census forever. Openers A, I, O, U keep this rule simpler.

Count carefully, write the number, and then treat the letter E as a controlled substance. The Committee already does.

Stuck on a different directive? Browse all 30 rule guides or return to the vault. Fern believes in you.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to rule 23 in the password games?: Count every E in your password, uppercase and lowercase, then type that number as digits somewhere in the password. The trick is that digits are not the letter E, so adding the count does not change the count. Count once, type the number, done, unless you later add words containing E.
What if my E count is the digit I exiled in rule 19?: You cannot type the exiled digit, so change the count instead. Add one E somewhere harmless or remove one, shifting the count to a neighboring number you are allowed to type. Then update the written count and rebalance your Scrabble score, since each E is worth 1 point.