Why Is My Make-Ten Score So Low? 7 Tips for a Higher Score in Make Ten
In Make Ten you drag a box over numbers on the board, and if they add up to exactly 10, they pop. You'll learn the rule in ten seconds. The trouble starts after that: "I tried so hard, why is my score half my friend's?" Here are 7 tips the developer collected while getting beaten at their own game.
1. You score cells, not sums
Making 10 earns one point per number cell you actually clear. 1+9 is 2 points, 2+3+5 is 3 points, and 1+1+2+2+4 is 5 points. Same ten, different score: the more small numbers you box together, the more you earn. Before settling for two big numbers, check whether 1s, 2s and 3s are clustered nearby.
2. Empty cells count as zero, so use them
Cleared cells stay empty (0) and the remaining numbers never move. That means numbers that started far apart can fit in one box once the space between them clears. If a row reads 3, empty, empty, 7, all four cells box together into 10. Rescanning the area around every clear is the habit behind high scores.
3. Always count the numbers in between
Everyone does it at least once. It is the most common mistake. With a 3 between a 4 and a 6, the box totals 13 and won't clear. A box adds every number from the start cell to the end cell. Double-check what's inside before you let go.
4. Search in a fixed order
When you're stuck, look in this order:
- Adjacent pairs: 1+9, 2+8, 3+7, 4+6, 5+5
- Three in a line: 1+2+7, 2+3+5, 1+4+5 across or down
- Rectangles that pass through empty cells
- Small squares such as 2×2
Sweep every row first, then every column, so you never check the same spot twice.
5. In the 2-minute challenge, keep your hands moving
The challenge gives you 120 seconds and 3 hints. Spending 10 seconds hunting for a huge box is often worse than clearing three 2-point pairs. Keep scoring with easy pairs, then go for big boxes in the middle of the round when the empty space has opened up. Since v1.0, the empty cells refill with new numbers when no tens are left, so a stuck board never stops you scoring while time remains.
6. Save hints for real dead ends (you will regret early hints)
A hint shows one place you can clear right now. Early on there are plenty of easy pairs, so save them for late in the round when your eyes are tired and nothing turns up for 10 seconds. Practice mode has unlimited hints, so use it to learn the shapes hints point to.
7. Warm up before the Daily Puzzle
The Daily Puzzle opens at midnight Korea time and everyone plays the same starting board, but only your first finish of the day counts. Warm up in Practice for a minute or two first and your official score will thank you. Finish every day to grow your 🔥 streak.
On a computer, try the keyboard (great for sneaky office breaks)
Move with the arrow keys, grow your box with Shift+arrows, clear with Enter and cancel with Escape. Phones get an 8×12 board (96 cells) and computers a 16×10 board (160 cells), so big boxes come up more often on a computer.