Guess My Word
Find today's word knowing only whether it comes before or after your guess.
Every day: Two secret English words a day, a normal one and a hard one, the same for everyone: each guess only tells you whether the word comes before or after it in the alphabet. New puzzle: Midnight, local time.
Guess My Word is a daily guessing game played with the alphabet. You type any English word and learn whether the secret word comes before or after it, narrowing the range until you hit it. There is a normal and a hard word each day, a completion board with everyone's guess counts and times, and earlier days to replay.
About Guess My Word
Guess My Word is a small browser game by H. Ryan Jones, running since 2019, whose source code is public on GitHub. The page is plain: one line of instructions, a box to type a word, and a guess button.
Each day there are two secret English words, a normal one and a hard one, and everyone gets the same pair. You type any Scrabble-acceptable word, and the game files it either above the box (the secret word comes after it) or below (the secret word comes before it). As guesses pile up, the two lists close in from either side, and the game becomes a search through the dictionary: halve the range, then halve it again, until you land on the word.
There is no limit on guesses. When you find it, the game shows how many guesses you used and how long it took, links to a definition, and lets you add your name to the completion board for that word (with an option to make your guesses public). If you are stuck you can give up. A calendar button lets you replay any earlier day or a random one, just for fun.
The hard words are much less common, so they suit players with a large vocabulary; the normal word makes a quick, low-pressure daily puzzle for anyone. The site is free and has no ads.
How to play Guess My Word
- Open Guess My Word and choose the normal or hard word.
- Type any English word (Scrabble-acceptable) and press guess.
- See whether the secret word comes after your guess (top list) or before it (bottom list).
- Guess a word between your closest before and after words to narrow the range.
- Keep going until you hit the word, then add your name to the completion board.
Tips
- Guess a word near the middle of the current range each time, as in a binary search.
- Once the first two or three letters are fixed, think about common word endings to pick guesses.
- The hard word is often an unusual word, so be ready to try less familiar spellings.
- Use the calendar to practise on earlier days.
Questions
How many guesses do I get?
As many as you need. The game records your guess count and time.
What is the difference between normal and hard?
Each day has two words. The hard word is drawn from a list of less common words.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes. The calendar button lets you pick a previous or random day to play for fun.
When does the word change?
At midnight on your device's local date.
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