Doople

About Doople

Doople takes the shape of a crossword and swaps letters for words. The grid has a handful of boxes, each holding one whole word, and six clues numbered across and down, such as the cosmos or popular pet. Each answer also has to form a two-word phrase with the boxes it touches, so the puzzle works like a chain: CURVE BALL leads to BALL GAME, and BALL GAME to GAME OVER.

The rules allow for how phrases are really written. Compound words can be split, so CAMPFIRE can appear as CAMP and FIRE. Small words like the and a are usually left out, punctuation is rare, abbreviations such as Dr. are written out, and a single letter or number can be an answer. Correct answers stay in place, and wrong ones disappear, so you can test ideas. If you give up you can reveal the answers, but that breaks your streak and leaves you without a time.

There is one numbered puzzle a day, a timer, stats for your best and average times, a leaderboard, and an archive mode for earlier puzzles. It suits players who like compound-word chains and short crosswords.

How to play Doople

1. Open the day's Doople and read the six clues, across and down.
2. Type a whole word into a box for each clue.
3. Make sure each answer joins the words next to it into a two-word phrase or compound word.
4. Keep going: correct answers stay, wrong ones disappear.
5. Fill every box to stop the clock, then share your time.

Tips

• Start with the clue you are surest of, then think what phrases its word can start or end.
• Try splitting compound words: CAMPFIRE can be CAMP and FIRE.
• Leave out the and a unless the phrase needs them.

Questions