Frequently Asked Questions
What is Word Chains?
Word Chains is a free online word puzzle. Each puzzle is a chain of words where every word joins with the next one to form a familiar phrase or compound word. For example, SUN and LIGHT make sunlight, then LIGHT and SPEED make light speed. Your job is to fill in the missing words and complete the chain.
More about Word Chains →How do you play?
The first word of the chain is shown in full, and every word after it shows only its first letter. Think of a word that starts with that letter, fits the number of tiles, and forms a phrase with the word above it. Type your guess and press Enter. If it is right, the word locks in and you move on to the next link. Solve every link to finish the chain.
Read the full How to Play guide →What are hearts?
Hearts are your attempts in the Daily Puzzle. You start each daily chain with five hearts, and every wrong guess costs one. Correct guesses never cost a heart. If you run out of hearts, the daily puzzle is over for you until the next one is released. Your hearts and progress are saved in your browser, so refreshing the page will not reset them. Random puzzles have no heart limit.
What do hints do?
In the Daily Puzzle you get three hints per chain. Each hint reveals the next hidden letter of the word you are currently working on, going left to right. Using a hint never costs a heart, but you only get three for the whole chain, so it pays to save them for the toughest links.
How does scoring work?
The Daily Puzzle is about finishing the chain: solve every link before your five hearts run out. The fewer wrong guesses and hints you need, the better your run. Timed Mode is where points come in. You have three minutes to solve as many word pairs as possible, scoring one point per pair, and you can skip up to five pairs you are stuck on.
When does the daily puzzle reset?
A new daily puzzle is released once every 24 hours, at 12:00 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). That is 8:00 a.m. Eastern / 5:00 a.m. Pacific during daylight saving time, and 7:00 a.m. Eastern / 4:00 a.m. Pacific the rest of the year. After you finish, the completion screen shows a countdown to the next puzzle.
What are the difficulty levels?
Every puzzle carries a difficulty badge: green for Easy, amber for Medium, and red for Hard. Easier chains lean on very common phrases like ice cream or sunlight, while harder chains use less obvious pairings, words with several meanings, and longer words. Daily puzzles usually have five or six words.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yesterday's full solution is always one tap away in the Daily Puzzle menu, and recent daily chains are published with their answers and phrase meanings in the Daily Recaps. Past daily puzzles cannot be replayed for hearts, but Random Puzzle mode draws from the full puzzle library, and every random puzzle has its own link you can come back to.
Browse the Daily Recaps →Is Word Chains free?
Yes. Word Chains is completely free to play, with no account, subscription, or download required. The site is supported by advertising.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. Word Chains works in any modern browser on phones, tablets, and computers, and includes an on-screen keyboard for touch screens. You can also add it to your home screen from your browser's menu to launch it like an app.
How do I share my results?
At the end of a Timed Mode round, tap Share Results to send your score through your phone's share menu, or copy it to your clipboard on a computer. For the Daily Puzzle, just send friends the link to word-chains.com/daily. Everyone gets the same chain each day, so you can compare notes. Random puzzles each have their own address, so you can share the exact puzzle you played.
Who made Word Chains?
Word Chains is an independent game designed and built by a solo developer who loves word puzzles. Suggestions, bug reports, and phrase ideas are always welcome.
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