EXAMPLE 01Two easy links
RAIN → COAT → HANGER
A compound can be written as one word, while the next connection can be a two-word phrase.
A FEW GOOD CONNECTIONS
How to play Word Chain.
Each word should form a familiar phrase or compound with the word beside it. You get both ends of a seven-word chain and find the five words between them.
01 · THE RULES
Make every neighboring pair work.
Seven words form the board. The first and last are given. For each of the five missing words, you see its first letter and number of letters. Type a whole word into any open space. The connections must work all the way through, so a word that looks promising on one side may still leave no valid path to the other end.
Think “coffee table,” not “elephant → tiger.” This is a phrase-and-compound game. It does not ask you to start the next word with the previous word’s final letter.
There is no timer to beat. You can start from either given word, work from the middle, or switch direction whenever another phrase comes to mind.
02 · A FULL CHAIN
Follow a solved example.
BOOKCLUBHOUSEPARTYLINEDANCEFLOOR
- book club — a group that reads and discusses books.
- clubhouse — a building used by a club.
- house party — a social gathering at someone’s home.
- party line — the official view of a political party.
- line dance — a dance performed in rows or lines.
- dance floor — the space where people dance.
The middle five words form a bridge from BOOK to FLOOR. BOOK + CLUB makes the open phrase “book club,” while CLUB + HOUSE makes the closed compound “clubhouse.” Every handoff has a meaning; a single good pair is not enough to finish the puzzle.
03 · PRACTICE THE PATTERN
Six examples, step by step.
These short examples show how one word can finish one expression and start another. The daily board uses seven words.
EXAMPLE 02One word, two jobs
STAR → FISH → TANK
FISH finishes one compound and begins the next phrase.
EXAMPLE 03Look for the handoff
PAPER → CLIP → BOARD → GAME
paper clip · clipboard · board game
The same word can change its role at every step.
EXAMPLE 04Mix the forms
SUN → SCREEN → TIME → ZONE
sunscreen · screen time · time zone
You can move between closed compounds and open phrases in one chain.
EXAMPLE 05Check every bridge
MOON → LIGHT → HOUSE → PLANT
moonlight · lighthouse · houseplant
A word that fits one side is useful only if the next connection also works.
EXAMPLE 06A longer chain
BREAK → FAST → FOOD → CHAIN → REACTION
breakfast · fast food · food chain · chain reaction
Start with whichever end suggests a phrase and build toward the middle.
04 · IF YOU GET STUCK
Hints, answers, and second paths.
A letter hint shows a letter shared by every accepted complete solution still compatible with your entries. If there is no shared letter to reveal, you may ask to see one possible word and choose whether to use it. Hints count as assistance, and you can continue playing.
The game can accept another complete chain after we review and publish it; each launch puzzle currently has one reviewed chain. A spelling variant is accepted only when listed for that word. Spacing, hyphens, and apostrophes are checked as written; the game does not silently change them. An unaccepted entry means it is not in this puzzle’s approved solutions, not that the word is wrong in real life.
Once you finish, read all six phrase explanations. If you choose to reveal the entire chain instead, the board becomes a review, not a completed daily puzzle.
05 · COME BACK TOMORROW
One puzzle date at a time.
The daily puzzle changes at 08:00 UTC (16:00 in Beijing). Your streak counts consecutive puzzle dates, rather than the dates shown by your device. If you finish an older unfinished puzzle later, it counts toward that puzzle’s own date. It does not finish the new puzzle for you.
Your game progress and completion record are saved in this browser when storage is available. An unfinished older puzzle can be reopened from the daily page. Practice puzzles never change the daily streak.
After a daily puzzle's window ends, its full chain and source-linked explanations become available in the past daily recaps. Reading a recap does not record a completion or add to your streak.
Ready to try a full seven-word board?
Play daily