Traindle

Traindle is a fast daily word game in the browser by Tim Shur. Its idea is the train of thought: one word leads to the next through a phrase everyone knows, and the chain keeps going for as long as you can think of links.

Each day brings a new numbered starting word. You have 60 seconds. You type a word that makes a familiar pairing with the current one, for example car then door (car door), then door then bell (doorbell), and so on. Every accepted word becomes the new end of the train, and the next link has to start from it.

You get three hints and one skip for a run, and an Undo button takes back a link. The aim is to reach the day's target length; your final chain becomes a score you can share and post to the leaderboard under your initials, and the game keeps your current and longest streak. Settings add options such as a Zen mode and bonus time. New players start in a short tutorial mode.

The links come from the game's own list of compounds and phrases, so a word you think of may not count. On some days the starting word has no accepted links at all and the game shows "No possible options", as it did on puzzle #663; on those days there is little to do but end the run.

It suits players who like quick association games and compound-word puzzles, and it takes a minute or two a day.