01
Read the clues
Rounds one to three give you two clues. Round four gives you three. Round five gives you a single clue and asks for the word nearest it in meaning. The clues are always ordinary English words, and the answer is always one word.
The link can be an object both clues share, a property they both have, or two meanings of the same word. piano and lock meet at key. ocean, sky and canvas meet at blue.
02
One guess, one word
You get a single attempt per round, so the first word you type is the one that counts. A word the round has no score for is not counted — you can try again. Plurals are read as their singular, and the clue words themselves never score.
Stuck? Hint gives you three, in order: how long the strongest link is, what letter it starts with, and one other word that crosses the round. Hints cost nothing and never reveal the answer.
03
Watch the chains
Each clue grows a chain of eight links toward your word. A chain that fills means your word is as close to that clue as the strongest link is; a short chain means the clue is only loosely served.
The two chains are combined so that a word which fits one clue perfectly and the other not at all still scores almost nothing. A brilliant answer to half the question is a bad answer to the whole of it.
04
What the number means
Every round is worth up to 1,000, so a day is worth up to 5,000. Matching the strongest link earns the full 1,000; a word half as close still earns more than half the round. After your guess the game shows the strongest link it knows, unless it was yours.
| Score | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | You found the strongest link, or a word just as close. |
| 750–999 | Every clue is properly served — a word we would not argue with. |
| 500–749 | A real connection, though one clue is doing more of the work. |
| 250–499 | A loose fit — it touches, but does not carry much of the clue. |
| 1–249 | Technically connected; the chains barely grow. |
05
How to get closer
Think in compounds before you think in categories: words that sit next to other words score better than words that sit above them. Ask what the two clues could each be part of, then look for the word that is part of both.
Then ask whether your word is doing the same job in both places. If it is a noun on one side and a verb on the other, that is usually a strong link, not a weak one — the game blends meanings rather than splitting them.
Questions people actually ask
- Is there only one right answer?
- No. There is one strongest link per round, and it scores 1,000, but any word that connects to every clue scores something. Sauce and cheese are as good as tomato for pizza and pasta.
- How is the score calculated?
- Your word is compared with each clue on its own, and each comparison is measured against the strongest link for that round. The clues are then combined so that a word which fits one clue perfectly and another not at all scores almost nothing.
- Why was my word not accepted?
- The game only keeps a score for a word it knows in that round. A word outside that list is not counted as a guess — you keep your one attempt, and the board says so. Plurals are folded into the singular, and the clue words themselves never score.
- When does a new puzzle appear?
- At 00:00 UTC, every day, the same five rounds for everyone. The countdown under the board is the honest answer.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Progress is saved in your browser, which also means a different browser starts from the beginning.
- What is the maximum score?
- Five rounds of 1,000, so 5,000. Matching the strongest link in all five is rare enough to be worth the screenshot.