FAQ
How do I play?
You get a start word and a target word. Build a path between them one word at a time: each word you place has to be close in meaning to the one before it. Place a word close enough to the target and you cross. Fewer tries is better.
Is Stonele like Semantle or Contexto?
They share an idea: the game measures how related two words are. In Semantle and Contexto you hunt for one hidden word, and each guess tells you how close you are. In Stonele you can see both ends, and you build the path between them, one related word at a time. More games in this family: games like Semantle and Contexto.
Is Stonele a word ladder or word chain game?
Close, but it runs on meaning instead of spelling. In a classic word ladder you change one letter at a time (cold → cord → card → ward → warm), and in a classic word chain each word starts with the last letter of the one before. In Stonele the letters don’t matter: each word has to be related to the one before it, like gravel → dirt → rag → collar.
What counts as “close in meaning”?
Stonele measures how related two words are with ConceptNet Numberbatch, a map of word meanings built from common-sense facts (see Credits). A step counts when either word is among the other’s 550 closest words. A few hundred hand-checked links count too, like human → arm and wheel → spoke, because parts and materials often sit far apart in meaning. It measures how words relate, not dictionary definitions, so some steps will surprise you.
What do “solid” and “wobbly” mean?
A solid stone is among the previous word’s closest matches. A wobbly one passes, but only just. Both count the same.
Why was my word rejected?
Rejected words are free. A word is rejected if it isn’t in the word list (about 31,000 everyday English words, with no names of people, places or brands) or if it’s already on the path: the start word, the target, or a stone you placed. Other forms count as their base word, so “fires” is “fire”.
What counts as a try?
Every word the game judges: each stone you place and each word that sinks. Rejected words (typos, unknown words, repeats) don’t count.
How do points work?
Points count stones only. Crossing with the fewest possible stones scores 10,000, and each extra stone lowers it. A sunk word costs a try but no points. Giving up scores 0. The ranking compares tries, not points.
How do hints work?
Each hint shows one more letter of a good next word. A hint costs 1,000 points but no tries, and hints stop once fewer than 1,000 points are left.
When does the new puzzle come out?
At midnight on your device’s clock. Everyone gets the same puzzle on the same date, so a friend in another time zone may be a day ahead of you or behind.
What does “You did better than x% of players” mean?
It compares your tries with everyone who has crossed the same puzzle so far that day, so early in the day it can move a lot. Only today’s puzzle is ranked: archive plays and give-ups aren’t counted.
How do streaks work?
Cross each day’s puzzle on that day to keep your streak going. Giving up or missing a day starts it again, and archive puzzles don’t count. Your streak is saved only in this browser: clearing site data, private browsing, or switching browser or device starts it over, and I can’t restore it.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes, in the Archive, back to puzzle #1 on 13 October 2026. Future puzzles aren’t available.
What’s the number in the top left?
How many people have Stonele open right now. Each browser counts once, however many tabs it has open, and the number updates every few seconds.
Do I need an account? Do you track me?
No account, no ads and no cookies. I count visits with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which doesn’t use cookies or follow you across sites. When you cross, I receive your number of tries and a random code made for that one game, and nothing else. See the Privacy policy.
Can I move my streak to another device?
Not yet. There are no accounts, so your progress lives only in the browser you play in.
Can I add Stonele to my home screen?
Yes. On iPhone or iPad, open stonele.com in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, open it in Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu, then Add to Home screen or Install app. On iPhone and iPad the home-screen version keeps its own storage, separate from Safari, so your streak starts over there.
Why is the first load slow?
The game downloads about 3.4 MB of word data the first time. Your browser keeps it, so later visits are quick. You need a connection to load each day’s puzzle and to see the ranking.
Can I play with a keyboard or a screen reader?
Yes. You play by typing, every word on the board is real text that screen readers read, and each result is announced. Sound is never the only signal, text colors meet WCAG AA contrast in light and dark mode, and animations switch off if your device asks for reduced motion.
I found a strange step, an offensive word or a bug.
Email contact@stonele.com with the puzzle number and the words involved.
Is it free?
Yes. Looking for more like it? See my list of free daily word games with no ads or sign-up.
Can I reuse the word data?
Yes. The word data files are licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. See Credits.