Afternym

Afternym is a word association game played in the browser. The board has eight face-down clue cards. Three are turned over at the start, and your job is to name the single everyday word that links them. On 7 November 2026 the first puzzle opened with "HORSE", "LEATHER" and "STIRRUPS", and the art beside the board shows how a word like "light" can join "moon", "house" and "hearted".

Each day is one edition of three puzzles. The first sticks to familiar objects and actions and quietly hints at the day's theme. The second asks you to look across different meanings of a word. The third makes a wider leap and may draw on a shared idea or a film or music reference, though later clues point back to everyday meanings. Every answer is an ordinary word, even when a clue is a name or a place.

Scoring rewards an early read. A puzzle is worth up to 8 points, falling as more clues are shown, and a wrong guess costs a point and turns over the next card. Clue five is the Volta, named after the turn in a sonnet. It looks like the odd one out until you see the link, and solving before it appears earns 2 extra points. You can also try to guess a hidden clue word itself, which opens only that card and banks a bonus point. After all eight cards are open you get one last guess.

Afternym comes from Boomchuk, the independent studio of Brian Kim Stefans, which also makes Downword, Redthread and several other daily word games. There is no account and no ads. Progress, streaks and results are kept in the browser. An archive lists every released day, so you can go back and play editions you missed. It suits players who enjoy lateral thinking and puns more than spelling or letter grids.