puzzlerzone
What Letterkin is
Letterkin is a daily word puzzle with five clues and one unusual scoring rule: your final score is the total number of distinct letters used across all five answers. The editor sets a five-letter target for each puzzle, and your goal is to match or beat it. You may answer the clues in any order, and each answer must be a single English word of at least three letters. Before locking in a word, the game shows how many new letters it would add. Accepted answers are final and cannot be reused, but repeated letters are free both inside a word and across answers. There is no timer, and your in-progress puzzle is saved in your browser. After finishing, you can share your score without giving away the answers, and practice editions let you replay past daily puzzles.
How to play
Choose one of the five clues and type a single English word of at least three letters. Before you lock in your answer, the new-letter cost tells you how many additional distinct letters that word would bring to your running total. If the word is accepted, it locks immediately and cannot be changed or used for another clue. If it isn't accepted, nothing locks and no letters are added, so you can try a different word. Work through the remaining clues without reusing any accepted answer, keeping repeated letters free. For example, LIE and then LINEN would add only the letter N, giving 4 distinct letters total. Once all five clues are solved, your score is your final distinct-letter count; lower is better, and the editor's five-letter target gives you the score to aim for.
Tips
- Repeated letters cost nothing, so favor words that reuse letters already locked in other answers.
- Check the new-letter cost before locking an answer; a word with a lower cost may save you a better total even if it feels like a stretch.
- Because you can choose which clue to solve first, start with words that share common letters across many clues to keep your letter count down.
- Use practice editions to replay past daily puzzles and experiment with different approaches without risk to your current puzzle.
Common questions
What happens if my word is not accepted?
An invalid answer does not lock and does not add any letters to your total, so you are free to try another word for that clue.
Can I change an answer after it has been accepted?
No. Accepted answers lock and cannot be changed, and each accepted answer cannot be used twice. You choose the order of clues, but once a word is locked it stays for that puzzle.
Are repeated letters counted more than once?
No. Repeated letters are free, meaning a letter only counts the first time it appears anywhere among your five answers. This applies both within a single word and across different answers.
Is there a timer?
No. There is no timer, and your daily progress is saved in the browser, so you can take your time and return to the puzzle later.