The original
Chainle.io, explained
chainle.io is the daily word chain this site is modelled on: five rounds, one word in the middle of each, scored on how close your answer sits to every clue. This page describes it plainly, and says where this site differs.
What it asks you to do
Each round shows one or more clue words with a gap between them. You type the word you think fills the gap, and the game answers with two chains — one growing from each clue toward your word. The closer your word is to a clue, the longer that clue's chain.
Rounds one to three are two-word bridges, round four adds a third clue, and the last round gives you a single clue and asks for the nearest word in meaning. One guess per round, five rounds, 1,000 points each.
Why the score is not right or wrong
The original scores meaning, not spelling. A word that fits one clue beautifully and the other not at all still scores very little, because the two sides are combined in a way that punishes an unbalanced answer. That single rule is what makes the game worth talking about: the obvious word is not always the strongest link, and a quiet word can beat a loud one.
The practical details
- A new puzzle at midnight Eastern Time, and every past puzzle stays playable in the archive.
- No account: progress lives in the browser on the device you played on.
- A share button that copies the puzzle number, your score and one square per round.
- An unlimited mode with random clues, kept separate from the daily result.
How this site relates to it
Chainle Today is an independent board built on the same idea. The rounds here are written for this site, the words are ours, and the scores are ours. We link to the original because it deserves the link, and because it should be clear which game you are playing.
Questions
- Is Chainle.io the same game as this one?
- No. Chainle.io is the original daily word chain, and it is the reference point for everything here. Chainle Today is an independent board that plays the same idea, with its own puzzles, its own words and its own scores. It is not affiliated with the original.
- Does chainle.io need an account?
- No. It saves progress in the browser, and there is nothing to sign up for.
- When does the chainle.io puzzle change?
- At midnight Eastern Time, which is earlier in the day than this site’s 00:00 UTC reset. The two clocks do not line up, so if you play both, one of them will feel early.
- Why does a guess get refused?
- Both games only score words they know. Plurals, names, and words built on top of a clue are usually refused, and a refused guess should not cost you the round.