Chainword Hints & Answer for Today
Fifteen tiles, three chained words. Three graded hints, then the whole chain behind a reveal — free and unlimited.
Today's Chainword — October 9, 2026 · Puzzle #1013. The tile rack below is public information (it is what the game deals you), then three hints, then the completed chain behind a reveal.
New puzzle every day at midnight US Eastern. Same rack for every player.
Today's tile rack
All fifteen tiles, shuffled. Every tile is used exactly once, and the words must be chained.
Rule reminder: word 2 must start with the last letter of word 1, and word 3 with the last letter of word 2.
Hints (open one at a time)
Hint 1 — the shape
Three five-letter words, all fifteen tiles used once, each word starting with the last letter of the word before it.
Hint 2 — the opening letters
The three words begin with W, E and T in that order.
Hint 3 — the joins
Word 1 ends with E (so word 2 starts there), and word 2 ends with T (so word 3 starts there).
Answer — today's full chain
WHOLE → EIGHT → TWIST
WHOLE ends in E and EIGHT starts with it; EIGHT ends in T and TWIST starts with it
How these Chainword hints work
Chainword has no hidden target — the letters are all on the table, which is why the rack can be shown without spoiling anything. The difficulty is the chaining: the middle word has to start on the first word's last letter and end on the third word's first letter, so it is the link that usually breaks. Our hints therefore nudge the joins rather than the words, and the final reveal gives the whole chain.
Because any valid chained arrangement is accepted, a different chain can also be correct. If you build one that uses all fifteen tiles in three chained real words, you have solved it.
Quick strategy
- Split the rack into vowels and consonants — each five-letter word needs two or three vowels.
- Hunt the rare letters (Q, Z, X, J, K, V): the word holding one is usually forced.
- Look for a letter that can both finish one word and open the next — those make the easiest joins.
- Lock your surest word first; you can undo, and a hint costs only a strike.
▶ Play Chainword free Full rules & strategy
Related: Clueword hints today · Squareword hints today · 5-letter words · All word games
Frequently asked questions
What is today's Chainword answer? Today's chain is WHOLE → EIGHT → TWIST, where each word begins with the last letter of the one before it.
Can I solve it with a different chain? Yes, if every tile is used exactly once in three chained real words.
How many words do I need? The daily uses three words (fifteen tiles); easier levels use two.
When does the puzzle change? At midnight US Eastern, every day.