Daily Brains · forge a chain where every pair of links makes a compound word.
Compound Chain is the word-ladder puzzle in Daily Brains (/daily). The chain hangs from a hook: the first and last words are given as dark iron links, and the links in between are hidden. Every neighbouring pair, read top to bottom, makes a compound word or a common two-word phrase — SUN·FLOWER, FLOWER·POT, POT·HOLE, HOLE·PUNCH. Each hidden link shows its first letter and its length, and every link is checked against the game's compound dictionary to be the only word that fits.
STORY & LORE
The week gets harder
Monday (Gentle) hides 4 links and shows the first two letters of longer words. Tuesday (Easy) hides 5 with the same help; Wednesday (Steady) hides 5 showing only first letters; Thursday (Tricky) 6; Friday (Tough) 7. From Tuesday on, the longer chains hang in a zigzag so every link stays readable on a phone. Saturday (Devious) is a loop: 7 hidden links that lead back to the start word. Sunday (Fiendish) forks: one hidden word starts two compounds and the chain splits into two branches, each ending on its own given word.
Every link is the only answer
The chains are generated by walking a dictionary of about 2,450 well-known compounds and phrases (family-friendly, no names or brands). A chain is only used if, knowing just each hidden link's first letter and length, exactly one way of filling the whole chain exists in the dictionary — so no other word fits any link between its neighbours. The schedule covers 798 puzzles with no repeated chain, and avoids reusing the same word or pair for weeks at a time.
HOW IT PLAYS
Playing
Tap any hidden link (or press Tab / the arrow keys) and type; links can be solved in any order. The strip under the chain shows the two compounds the selected link belongs to, e.g. ROAD + ▢▢▢▢ and ▢▢▢▢ + SHOW. When the last letter goes in, the word is checked. A right word clanks into place and reveals the second letter of the next link; a wrong word costs one of five spare links. Lose all five and the chain snaps, revealing the answers.
Hints and scoring
💡 Hint reveals the next letter of the selected link for 60 points. A completed chain scores 1000 minus 60 per hint and 50 per wrong word (never below 100). A snapped chain scores up to 400 for the links you did solve. A chain finished with no hints and no wrong words is a perfect day: the whole chain swings on its hook.
Sharing
The share card shows the given words and one emoji per hidden link: 🔗 solved clean, 💡 solved with a hint, 💥 still hidden when the chain snapped. Forks print each branch on its own line, loops end with ↺.
WEEKLY RAMP
| Day | Label | Hidden links | Shape | Letters shown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Gentle | 4 | Straight | First two (one on 3-letter words) |
| Tuesday | Easy | 5 | Zigzag | First two (one on 3-letter words) |
| Wednesday | Steady | 5 | Zigzag | First |
| Thursday | Tricky | 6 | Zigzag | First |
| Friday | Tough | 7 | Zigzag | First |
| Saturday | Devious | 7 | Loop back to the start | First |
| Sunday | Fiendish | 8 | Fork into two branches | First |
REWARDS
| Event | Reward |
|---|---|
| Complete the chain | 15 Tickets |
| Perfect (no hints, no wrong words) | +25 Tickets |
| First Link (first chain) | 🔗 Bronze · 10 Tickets |
| Unbreakable (a perfect chain) | ⛓️ Silver · 20 Tickets |
| Three Links Strong (3-day streak) | 🔥 Bronze · 15 Tickets |
| Chainsmith (7-day streak) | ⚒️ Gold · 40 Tickets |
| Iron Will (30-day streak) | 👑 Legendary · 100 Tickets |
VERSION HISTORY
- Launch version in Daily Brains.
- 2,458-pair compound dictionary; 798 generated chains, every link proven unique from its first letter and length.
- Weekday ramp from a 4-link Monday to a looping Saturday and a forking Sunday.
- Letter hints, five spare links, streaks, statistics and a spoiler-free share card.