Fifths

About Fifths

Fifths is a small daily word game made by Alexandra Swan (copyright 2026). Its line is five words, five letters, one target: each day's puzzle is five words laid out side by side, and every one of them hides one letter of the answer.

The day's puzzle comes in three difficulties. On Easy the words are given in order and you tap one letter in each column so that, read left to right, they spell the answer. On Normal the letter each word gives is highlighted, and your job is to drag the columns into the right order. Hard combines both: no highlights, and the columns must be put in order as well as the right letter picked. After each submit, correct letters or columns lock in with colour and wrong ones go grey, so you close in on the answer over several tries. Choosing Easy locks you out of Normal and Hard for that day's puzzle.

Every day also has a clue you can reveal if you need a nudge, and once you finish the game tells you to come back tomorrow. Progress is stored in your browser.

It suits players who like short, tidy word puzzles with a little ordering in them, such as Pair Down or Cadgy.

How to play Fifths

1. Choose Easy, Normal or Hard for the day's puzzle.
2. On Easy, tap one letter in each of the five word columns so they spell the answer left to right.
3. On Normal, drag the columns into order so the highlighted letters spell the answer.
4. On Hard, pick the right letter in each column and drag the columns into order.
5. Submit: correct letters or columns lock in with colour, wrong ones go grey; keep going until you find the word.

Tips

• Start on Normal or Hard if you want them: picking Easy first locks them for the day.
• Look at uncommon letters first; a Q, J or Y narrows where a column can go.
• Reveal the day's clue only after a couple of tries, when you know which letters are left.

Questions