References
Four clues from four fields point to one hidden word.
Every day: One hidden word a day, the same for everyone, pointed to by four curated clues from different fields; reveal clues and guess within four tries, keeping as many of your 10 stars as you can. New puzzle: Once a day.
References is a daily word puzzle built on clues. One hidden word has four references, each from a different field and ordered from hardest to easiest. You reveal them one by one and guess, starting with 10 stars; every clue and wrong guess costs stars, and you have four guesses.
About References
References hides one word a day. Four clues, called its references, point to it, each drawn from a different field, such as film, science, history or language, and they are ordered from the hardest to the easiest.
You start with 10 stars. Revealing a clue costs stars, and so does a wrong guess, and you have four guesses in all. After each guess you are told how many letters are in exactly the right place. Your score is the stars you have left when you solve it. Every puzzle is meant to be solvable by putting the clues together rather than by knowing an odd fact.
The puzzles are hand-made, sometimes with an editor's note on what inspired them, and an archive, statistics and an optional sign-in for streaks and a leaderboard round it out.
It suits players who enjoy lateral thinking and pub-quiz breadth in one short daily puzzle.
How to play References
- Tap the first, hardest clue to reveal it.
- Guess the word, or reveal the next clue.
- After a guess, see how many letters are in the right place.
- Use the remaining clues and guesses, four in all, to find the word.
- Score the stars you still have, out of 10.
Tips
- Guess early if the first clue suggests a word; a wrong guess still tells you letter positions.
- Look for a word that fits all the fields at once, not just one clue.
- Save your stars: the last, easiest clue is the most expensive way in.
Questions
How many guesses do I get?
Four.
How is it scored?
You start with 10 stars and lose some for each clue revealed or wrong guess.
Can I play earlier days?
Yes, there is an archive.
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