Rules
How to play Polyphonia
Polyphonia is a free daily word-association puzzle. Each day there is a start word and a goal word; you link from word to word, using six kinds of link (rhymes, synonyms, opposites, phrases, kinds or parts, and words that go together), until you reach the goal in as few links as you can.
The rules in five steps
- Read the start and the goal. Each puzzle has a start word (blue) and a goal word (amber). Your aim is to link from the start to the goal in as few links as you can.
- Type a linked word. Type a word that links to the star you are on: a rhyme, a synonym, an opposite, a word that makes a phrase with it, a kind or part of it, or something that goes with it. If the link counts, the new word joins your constellation and the game names the link type.
- Branch from any word. Tap any star on the board to link from it instead. Undo removes your newest word for free. A hint shows one word that links from your star, for +1 to your score.
- Reach the goal. Link into the goal word to finish. The link into the goal has to count too.
- Compare with par and share. Your score is your links plus hints, shown against par. Then hear your constellation as a melody and share a spoiler-free result.
A worked example
Easy puzzle for 26 September 2026: glacier → sing, par 4.
- glacier
- Root: a glacier is made of ice
- ice
- Fusion: “ice” + “cover” make “ice cover”
- cover
- Fusion: “cover” + “song” make “cover song”
- song
- Spark: “song” and “sing” go together
- sing
Four links, no hints: a score of 4, level with par. Other routes work too; any chain of valid links counts.
The six kinds of link
- Echo words that rhyme or sound the samecat → hat
- Thread words that mean the same, or nearlybig → large
- Rift oppositeshot → cold
- Fusion together they make a word or phrasebutter → fly
- Root one is a kind or part of the otherrose → flower
- Spark words that go togetherkey → lock
More examples and the exact rules are on Link types.
Scoring and par
Your score is the number of links on your board when you reach the goal, plus one for each hint you used. Lower is better. Par is the length of the shortest route the puzzle generator verified: 3–4 links on Easy, 4–5 on Medium and 5–6 on Hard. Finishing under par is possible if you find a shorter route.
Every link on the board counts, including side branches that didn’t reach the goal. Undo is free, so remove dead ends before you finish.
Easy, Medium and Hard
There is a new puzzle at each difficulty every day. The difficulties differ in which link types are allowed:
| Difficulty | Link types allowed | Par |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | Echo, Thread, Rift, Fusion, Root, Spark | 3–4 links |
| Medium | Echo, Thread, Rift, Fusion, Spark | 4–5 links |
| Hard | Echo, Thread, Rift | 5–6 links |
Daily puzzles and streaks
- A new puzzle at each difficulty every day at midnight, in your local time. Everyone gets the same puzzles for the same date.
- Solve at least one puzzle a day to keep your streak. Miss a day and the current streak starts again; your best streak is kept.
- Your progress and streak are saved in your browser. There is no account.
- Past puzzles and their solutions are in the archive, published once each date has ended everywhere.
Tips
- Work backwards. Think of words that link to the goal, then aim for one of them.
- Rhymes are quick bridges. An Echo can jump to a completely different meaning: “band” → “sand”.
- Try phrases in both orders. “cream” → “ice” is a Fusion because “ice cream” is.
- On Hard, chain rhymes and synonyms. Only Echo, Thread and Rift are allowed.