Slate SoundBites
Solve clues, keep one sound from each answer, and build the mystery word.
Every day: A new puzzle every weekday at 6 a.m. Eastern, the same for everyone: a few clues whose answers each give up one sound, and a final mystery word built from those sounds. New puzzle: 6 a.m. Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.
SoundBites is Slate's weekday word game about how words sound. Each clue's answer contains a highlighted soundbite, a letter or group of letters that makes a single sound; put the soundbites together, said the way they sound in their own words, and you get the day's mystery word.
About Slate SoundBites
SoundBites joined Slate's daily games beside its crossword, mini, quiz and Pears, and a new puzzle arrives every weekday at 6 a.m. Eastern. Each one is posted as a dated page, under Jenny Fey's byline, and the archive on its tag page goes back more than a hundred puzzles.
A puzzle starts with a handful of ordinary clues. When you solve one, the game marks a slice of its answer, the soundbite: a letter or set of letters that makes one sound in that word. The trick is that you keep the sound, not the spelling. Strung together in order and pronounced as they were in their original answers, the soundbites spell out a final mystery word, so the game rewards anyone who has ever enjoyed the old joke that ghoti spells fish.
If a clue stalls you, you can reveal letters or switch to an alternate clue, at a cost to your result. The game keeps a streak for signed-in players. It is free in the browser with ads on the page, and it suits word players who like spelling oddities and puns more than pure vocabulary.
How to play Slate SoundBites
- Open the day's SoundBites, posted at 6 a.m. Eastern on weekdays.
- Solve each clue by typing its answer.
- Note the highlighted soundbite in each answer and how it is pronounced there.
- Combine the soundbites in order, by sound rather than spelling, to find the mystery word.
- Enter the final answer; use letter reveals or the alternate clue only if you are stuck.
Tips
- Say the answers out loud: the soundbite is about the sound, so the spelling of the final word may look nothing like the pieces.
- You can often guess the final word after two or three soundbites and work backwards.
- Save reveals for the last clue; each one counts against your result.
Questions
When does SoundBites come out?
Every weekday at 6 a.m. Eastern Time.
What is a soundbite?
A letter or group of letters in a clue's answer that makes a single sound. You use that sound, as it is said in that answer, to build the final word.
Is SoundBites free?
Yes, it is free in the browser with ads on the page; signing in keeps your streak.
Games like Slate SoundBites
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