How to play
You get a starting letter and 60 seconds. Type any common English word of three or more letters that begins with it, and your next word must begin with the last letter of the one before. Repeats are rejected, so every link in the chain has to be new. More words means a better score.
Tips
- Short words are faster to type and score exactly the same as long ones.
- Mind the letter you hand yourself: words ending in E, S, or T open far more doors than rare endings.
- Keep a couple of fallback words ready for awkward letters like Y, K, and U.
- If a word gets rejected, fire the next candidate immediately. The clock never stops for you.
Why the last letter is the whole game
Every word you type hands you the first letter of the next one, so a chain is only as good as the letters you keep giving yourself. Words that end in E, S, T, R or N leave you with common starting letters and a huge pool to draw from. Words that end in Y, X or K leave you fishing. Experienced players choose words for their endings, not their meanings.
Sixty seconds is long enough that this compounds. A player who types short common words and steers the ending will land twice as many links as one who reaches for impressive vocabulary and gets stuck on the letter it leaves behind.
Longer chains
- Short words, always. Three and four letter words type fastest and score exactly the same as long ones.
- Steer the ending. Aim to finish on E, S, T, R or N, and avoid handing yourself a Y or a K.
- Keep a mental bank of quick words for awkward letters. For a Y you want YES or YET ready; for a K, KEY or KIT.
- Repeats are rejected, so vary your quick words. Cycling the same three will stall you.
- Type the next word while the current one is being accepted. The clock does not wait for you to read the result.
-FAQ
Common questions
What are the rules?
Each word must begin with the last letter of the previous one, be a common English word of three or more letters, and not have been used already in this chain.
Do longer words score more?
No. Every valid word counts as one link, so short words are strictly better because they are faster to type.
How long do I have?
60 seconds from the starting letter. Your score is the number of words in the chain when time runs out.
-FAQ