Lexicle

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Guess the day's word by meaning, hotter or colder.

Play Lexicle

on lexicle.com

Lexicle board for 18 October 2026 (#566): a noun to find, a thermometer beside the guesses STEER and SHEAR rated warm and CLOTH rated cold, with the on-screen keyboard

Lexicle is a daily word game where the clue is meaning, not letters. You are told the day's word's part of speech and a related word, then each five-letter guess is rated by how close it is in meaning, from cold to red hot, and unlocks a further hint. You have eleven guesses, and unused ones earn points on a global leaderboard.

About Lexicle

Lexicle mixes Wordle's format with the hot-and-cold play of Contexto. The answer is always a five-letter, family-friendly word, and every player gets the same one, numbered, each day at 8 AM US Central Time.

You start with two clues: what kind of word it is (a verb and noun, say) and one word it is related to. Then you guess. Instead of coloured letters, each guess is scored on how close its meaning is to the target: FUNDS next to MONEY is red hot, PUPPY is cold. Each guess also reveals a new warm hint, so the picture of the word fills in as you go.

You have eleven guesses. Every one you do not use is worth a point, up to ten a puzzle, and points and streaks go on a global leaderboard. A calendar archive holds every past puzzle, and the site adds extras such as a live game, Mini and Quests, plus a sister game, Lexagon.

It suits players who like Contexto or Semantle but want a shorter, fairer game: the five-letter limit and the hints keep most solves to a few minutes.

How to play Lexicle

Read the day's clues: the word's part of speech and a word it is related to.
Type a five-letter guess and press enter.
See how close your guess is in meaning, from cold to red hot, and read the new hint it unlocks.
Use the scores and hints to home in on the word within eleven guesses.
Collect a point for every unused guess and check the leaderboard; the next puzzle arrives at 8 AM Central.

Screenshots

Lexicle on a phone: the starting hint SHEAR placed on the hot-and-cold thermometer, a guess being typed and the keyboard below

Tips

Start with broad words in the clue's area of meaning, then narrow down.
Spelling does not matter at all here: a near-anagram can be ice cold.
Read each new hint before guessing again; it often names the sense of the word you need.