Make 11 with four 9s

The classic four nines puzzle: build an expression from exactly four 9s that equals 11. 11 can be made with nothing but four 9s, + - × ÷, and parentheses.

Solutions using only + - × ÷

(9 + 9) / 9 + 9 = 11

Solutions with concatenation and decimals

9 / .9 + 9 / 9 = 11
(9 + 9) / .9 - 9 = 11
.9 / .9 + 9 / .9 = 11
(.9 + .9) / .9 + 9 = 11

Solutions with square roots, factorials, exponents

9! / 9! + 9 / .9 = 11
(9 - 9)! + 9 / .9 = 11
(9! + 9!) / 9! + 9 = 11
99 / sqrt(9 × 9) = 11
(.9 - .9)! + 9 / .9 = 11

…and 205 more at this tier.

215 distinct solutions found in total, after removing trivial rearrangements.

How 11 compares

11 has 215 distinct solutions across all three tiers — #27 most plentiful of all 100 targets. Exactly one of them uses nothing but + - × ÷. Next door, 10 has 803 solutions and 12 has 1,181 solutions.

If 11 went down easily, make 13 with four 9s — 75 solutions, the nearest step up in scarcity.

Make 10 with four 9s · Make 12 with four 9s

The Number Lab

Same idea, different constraints: four 9s, four 4s, or any four digits you like.

Four Nines — the daily puzzle
Four Nines solver — every target, solved
Four Fours — the 1881 original
Four Fours solver — including the impossible five
Make 24 solver — any four digits
Today's 24 — one new hand a day

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Four Nines — the daily puzzle: four 9s, one target, new at midnight
The Reflex Lab — nine ways to measure your hands and memory, none of them polite about it
hand me something weird — a random pick from the directory. Could be the horse.

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