WordChain guide
Word Chain FAQ
The questions people ask most often, starting with what the words on the screen mean.
Fast answers
What do Flow, Pot and Multiplier mean?
Flow is a bar that empties on its own, so think of it as a timer that words refill. The Pot holds points your words have earned but that you have not kept yet. The Multiplier climbs a little with every word and drops back when you cash in. Bank turns the Pot times the Multiplier into score you cannot lose. Put together: keep playing words so the timer never empties, let the Pot and Multiplier grow, and bank before the timer beats you.
Why did my points disappear?
Points sit in the Pot until you bank them. If Flow reaches zero, or you play a word starting with the wrong letter, the Pot goes with it. Anything you had already banked is safe.
What is the difference between Classic and Phrase mode?
Classic is the last-letter word chain and it is what you get at the homepage: each word starts with the last letter of the one before it, and you bank points before Flow runs out. Phrase mode, at /phrase, links words into familiar phrases instead, and it is a pass-and-play game for 2 to 4 people sharing one device.
Is Word Chain the same as shiritori or the last-letter game?
Yes. Word Chain is the English last-letter game: each word starts with the last letter of the one before. Shiritori is the Japanese original, which chains the final kana (a syllable) rather than the final letter. Here you play it solo against a clock, with a dictionary check and no repeats.
Can I play Word Chain online with friends?
Not over the internet. A Phrase Room is pass-and-play on one shared device (a phone, a tablet or a laptop): add 2 to 4 players, pick a pack, and hand it round. Classic and Daily are single player, and the leaderboard is where you compare with other people.
Is there a two-player mode?
Yes. Pick the Date Night pack in Phrase mode: softer starter words and pacing built for two people sharing one device.
Why was my word rejected?
Phrase mode only accepts a word that makes a real phrase with the one before it, and repeats are blocked. In Classic, a word that is too short, repeated, or not in the dictionary is rejected at no cost, but submitting one that starts with the wrong letter busts your Pot.
Does the daily challenge still exist?
Yes. Daily gives everyone the same starting word and setup each day, and Wordy is the deduction puzzle. Both sit in the top navigation alongside Classic and Phrase.
Take the guide into the game.
Reading about a mode only gets you so far. Open it and play a round.