Chainle

About Chainle

Chainle is one of the daily puzzles on Zalize's games portal. Each puzzle is numbered and dated: puzzle #69 on 6 October 2026 asked players to get from RACKS to HANDY.

The rule is broader than in a classic word ladder. A step can swap one letter for another, add a letter or take one away, so the words can grow and shrink on the way. Every word in the chain has to be a real word, and you type each one on the on-screen or physical keyboard.

Each puzzle has a par, the number of steps a good solution takes. Match or beat it for a star. Undo lets you step back out of dead ends, and undoing earns hint tokens you can spend later; if you are stuck for good, Give up shows the way. A streak strip counts the days of the week you have played.

It suits players who like Weaver but want more freedom in each step, and anyone who already plays the other Zalize dailies.

How to play Chainle

1. Open Chainle and read the day's start word at the top and end word at the bottom.
2. Type a real word that differs from the last one by one changed, added or removed letter, then press Enter.
3. Keep adding words until your chain reaches the end word.
4. Use Undo to back out of a dead end; spend hint tokens if you need a nudge.
5. Finish in par or fewer steps to earn the day's star and keep your streak.

Screenshots

Tips

• Adding or removing a letter is often a shortcut when the two words differ in length or shape.
• Work backwards from the end word in your head: words one step from it are your targets.
• Common short words with many neighbours make good stepping stones.

Questions