Letter Distribution

[JasonCullen]

I have always wondered whether the letters on Countdown are fixed or just scrambled randomly!? This is because when I play the game on my Countdown board game and shuffle the connsonants and vowels randomly, more than likely I will get disgusting selections and a constant repetition of the same letters e.g. 4 "A"s in a row! So do any past contestants know how they scramble the letters? It's a question I forgot to ask when I was at the studios

[Jon O'Neill]

Random, then de-uglified. They sort through and remove anything that's too bunched up to make it all a bit nicer.

[Joseph Bolas]

I have always wondered whether the letters on Countdown are fixed or just scrambled randomly!? This is because when I play the game on my Countdown board game and shuffle the connsonants and vowels randomly, more than likely I will get disgusting selections and a constant repetition of the same letters e.g. 4 "A"s in a row! So do any past contestants know how they scramble the letters? It's a question I forgot to ask when I was at the studios

I like the selections with the repetitive letters, it can be used as practice for COLIN games .

[Charlie Reams]

Never one to miss a chance to plug my own work - CountGen accurately simulates the "cheaty shuffle" used on the program, so it generates much more accurate practice games. It also gives you the solutions when you've finished tearing your hair out.