etyML
Rate itSort twelve words into three families that share a root, and spot the three impostors.
Every day: One numbered puzzle a day (No. 128 on 6 October 2026), the same for everyone: twelve words, three hidden word families of three that share a root, and three impostors. A new one unlocks at midnight. New puzzle: Midnight (local time).
etyML is a daily etymology puzzle. Twelve words sit above three bins, each labelled with a root's meaning such as 'to watch' or 'to walk'; put three words in each and leave out the three that only look related. A perfect day is all twelve placed right without hints.
About etyML
etyML turns word origins into a sorting puzzle. Each day's board shows twelve English words. Nine of them belong to three families, each descended from one older root, and three are impostors that look as if they belong but come from somewhere else. The how-to gives the flavour: chief, cattle and cabbage all go back to Latin caput, 'head', while salient looks salty but comes from salire, 'to leap'.
The bins carry a label for each root's meaning, so you are reasoning from spelling and sense rather than recalling a dictionary: on 6 October the bins were to watch, to walk and to rouse, and the words included vigil, vigilant, surveillance, amble, preamble, perambulate, excite, incite and solicit, with citron, ambrosia and vignette waiting to trip you. Tap a word, then tap its bin; each bin takes exactly three. Three hints a puzzle place one word correctly, and after you submit, the etymology of every word is shown.
Hard mode hides the root labels during play, and there are dark and high-contrast colour settings. Past puzzles are in an archive. The game keeps your streak and stats in your browser, with no account. Its etymologies come from Wiktionary and the Etymological Wordnet, and the site notes that its puzzles are made with an AI-assisted process and may contain mistakes.
It suits word lovers who enjoy Connections but want groups decided by history rather than by trivia or wordplay.
How to play etyML
- Read the twelve words and the three bin labels, each the meaning of an old root.
- Tap a word, then tap the bin of the family you think it belongs to; tap a placed word to take it back out.
- Put exactly three words in each bin, leaving the three impostors unplaced.
- Use a hint if you are stuck: it places one word correctly, up to three a puzzle.
- Submit, then read the etymologies to see where every word came from.
Tips
- Look for a shared chunk of spelling (vig, amb, cit) but test it against the meaning: impostors are chosen to share the chunk without the root.
- Place the words you are sure of first; the last few often sort themselves.
- A perfect score needs no hints, so save them for the final pair you cannot separate.
Questions
When does a new etyML puzzle come out?
One new puzzle unlocks at midnight each day.
Do I need an account?
No. Your streak and stats are kept in your browser.
What counts as a perfect game?
All twelve words placed correctly with no hints used.
Ratings and reviews
No ratings yet. Be the first to rate etyML.
Games like etyML
Etymon
Another daily game about word history: name the word from clues to its origin
Longhand
Works with the same prefixes, roots and endings, building one long word from them
Relink (Daily Mail)
A grouping puzzle where you must pick out the impostor words before the groups fit
Connections
The sorting game etyML adapts, with four groups of four and no roots involved
Slangeum
Word origins for modern slang: guess where and when each word was born
Werdle
A five-letter word a day that shows where it came from once solved
Connections: Soccer Edition
Sort sixteen soccer names and terms into four hidden groups of four.
Meldle
Find the two letters that complete four word fragments at once, three times over.