How to play Missing Link
Missing Link is a free daily word puzzle. You get the first and last words of a seven-word chain. Find the five hidden words in between, where every word joins the next to make a compound word or phrase.
How a link works
CUP and CAKE make cupcake. CAKE and WALK make cakewalk. A link can be one word, like cupcake, or a common two-word phrase, like fire alarm or traffic jam.
The rules
- Each hidden word starts with one of its letters showing.
- Work from either end. You can only guess the words next to ones you've already found.
- Guesses have to be real words. Made-up words don't count against you.
- A word is checked as soon as its last letter is in. A real word that's wrong is a miss, and another letter of the answer appears. (Prefer to press Enter yourself? Turn off automatic checking in settings.)
- Stuck? Clue shows a short clue and Letter reveals a letter. Each one counts as a miss.
- Finish with as few misses as you can. A timer runs too, and it pauses when you leave the page.
Tips
- Say the two words out loud together. Sound often gives away a compound before spelling does.
- Try both ends. If the top is stuck, the bottom word might be easier.
- Use the letter that's showing. It tells you the length and one position for free.
- Want a challenge? Turn on Hard mode in settings: no starting letters, and no Clue or Letter help.
Sharing your result
When you finish, share a spoiler-free grid with your friends. Each square is one hidden word: 🟩 no misses, 🟨 one miss, 🟧 two misses, 🟥 three or more.
Questions
- Is Missing Link free?
- Yes. There's nothing to buy and no account to make.
- When does a new puzzle come out?
- Every day at midnight, your local time. Everyone gets the same chain on the same date.
- Can I play past puzzles?
- Yes. Open your stats and choose Play a past puzzle, or tap Past puzzles after you finish. Past puzzles don't count toward your streak.
- Where are the answers?
- Every puzzle's answer goes up at missinglink.games/answers once that day is over in every time zone, so nobody gets spoiled. For a nudge without the answer, see today's hints at missinglink.games/hints.
- Do I need to type the whole word?
- Either way works. Type the whole word, or just the missing letters.
- Where are my stats saved?
- On your device, in your browser. Clearing this site's data resets them.
- Can I put it on my home screen?
- Yes. On iPhone, tap Share in Safari, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, use the browser menu.