How to play KEYLESS.

Give every letter one home

You can repeat a letter within the same answer. KIWI, for example, uses only three different letters: K, I and W. But you cannot use any of those letters in another answer on the same board.

Try words in any order and edit freely. The alphabet shows which answer owns each letter and highlights letters shared by multiple answers. Change a word to make everything fit.

Four clues, then a free space

Shorthand depends on the category: BED and LIVING count for rooms; CLOWN counts for CLOWNFISH. Flowers need a recognized flower name, so SUNFLOWER counts but SUN alone does not. Full names still work. Your score uses the letters you actually type.

The first four answers come from category word lists, including many uncommon and specialist terms. Tap the question mark beside a category to see what counts. These lists are extensive but finite, so not every real word or alternate spelling is included.

The fifth answer can be any real word in the game’s English dictionary, including niche words and plurals. A, I and O count; random letters do not. Compound words must be listed with that exact spacing or hyphenation. The same shared-letter rule applies.

A small example

For a board with Country, Color, Animal, Food and Free space, try CUBA · RED · LYNX · KIWI · POT. All five fit without sharing a letter between answers, leaving nine keys unused. This is a separate example, not a solution to today’s puzzle.

Solve five, then save letters

Your score counts completed answers first, then unused letters. A full 5/5 always beats a 4/5. Once all five fit, see whether you can swap in shorter words or words with repeated letters to leave more keys untouched. There is no speed bonus.

Review your score before submitting. Submission locks your official result for that day. Signed-in players keep the same locked result across devices. Afterward, you can share your score or play a practice board.

One daily hint when you need it

After two answers fit, the daily hint unlocks. Choose an unfinished category and the game checks your current words for a compatible answer. A successful hint fills that slot and uses your daily hint; if no compatible completion is found, the hint is not spent.

A fresh puzzle every day

KEYLESS resets at 12:00 AM in your local time. Players on the same local calendar date get the same board. The fifth slot is always a free space. Five practice puzzles let you try again without changing your daily score or streak.

Play in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Choose Google, create an account with email, or play as a guest. Verified accounts sync drafts, hints and results across devices. Guest progress stays in this browser and is removed if you clear its data.