Word Dominoes gives you a start word and a target word, and asks you to get from one to the other by laying words end to end. Each new word has to begin with the last two or three letters of the word before it, like matching the pips on a domino. There is one new chain every day, a move limit shown next to the date, and a single hint.
How to play Word Dominoes
The start word sits at the top of the chain and the target you are aiming for is shown above the board.
Type a word that begins with the last two or three letters of the word at the bottom of the chain — the line under the chain tells you exactly which openings are legal.
Words must be at least three letters long and must be in the dictionary; anything else is refused without costing you a move.
You cannot reuse a word already in the chain, with one exception: playing the target is always allowed, even if it appeared earlier.
Each accepted word costs one move, and the header counts your moves against the day's limit.
The hint plays one word for you — the first step of the shortest route still open to the target — and you only get one per puzzle.
Reach the target word and the chain is complete; the result screen shows your move count against par.
Reading the openings off the last word
Say the chain ends in CARPET. Its last three letters are PET and its last two are ET, so your next word may start with either: PETAL and PETROL are legal, and so is ETCH. Play PETAL and the openings change to TAL or AL, which gives you TALON. TALON hands you LON or ON, and if the target is ONSET you are there — CARPET, PETAL, TALON, ONSET, in three moves. Notice that every word ended in a letter pattern that was easy to build on; a word ending in a dead pair like -XY would have left you nowhere to go.
Word Dominoes strategy
Look at the tail you are leaving behind, not the word you are playing
A legal word that ends in an awkward pair is the most common way to lose a chain. Before you submit, read the last two and three letters of your own word and ask what could start that way. Endings like -ER, -IN, -ON, -AT, -AL and -EN open dozens of continuations; -UE, -KY, -MP and -WN open almost none.
Work backwards from the target
The target's first two and three letters are the only ways in, so the real question is which word can end in them. If the target is ONSET, you need a word ending in ON or ONS — TALON, BACON, LEMON, PRISON. Find one of those and you only have to solve the shorter problem of reaching it.
Use the three-letter overlap when you want a longer hop
You always get both options, and they behave differently. The two-letter opening is the loose one and keeps the most words available; the three-letter opening is narrower but tends to land you on a much more specific word, which is useful when you can see the target and need to steer towards it rather than wander.
Spend moves on short words while you are still far away
The move limit counts words, not letters, so a long word is not worth more than a short one. Three- and four-letter words are quicker to see and their endings are easier to predict, which makes them the cheap way to cross open ground. Save your effort for the last hop, where the ending has to match the target exactly.
Keep the hint for a dead end, not a slow patch
The hint doesn't suggest a word, it plays one — the first step of the shortest route still available — so it also costs you a move. That makes it worth most when you genuinely cannot see any continuation at all, and close to wasted when you were going to find something in another thirty seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How much overlap do I need between words?
Two or three letters, and you choose which. The next word must start with either the last two or the last three letters of the previous word.
How many moves do I get?
It is set per puzzle and shown in the header next to the date, counting up as you play. Only accepted words count as moves — a word that is too short, misspelt, already used or starting with the wrong letters is simply refused and costs nothing. Par, the length of a tidy solution, is revealed when you finish.
Do I get a hint?
One per puzzle. It adds the next word of the shortest remaining route to your chain, which means it also uses up one of your moves.
Is there only one correct chain?
No. Most days have several routes to the target of different lengths, and any of them finishes the puzzle — par is a target to beat, not the only answer.
Can I play a previous day's puzzle?
The playable chain is always today's, and you get one attempt at it. Past days, with their answers, live in the Word Dominoes archive.
Do I need an account?
No. It is free with no sign-up, and your chain is saved in your own browser if you close the tab mid-puzzle.