How to play

The daily puzzle

The answer is always something well known: a historical event, an invention, a scientific discovery or a famous person. It is the same puzzle for every player, and you get one game a day. A new puzzle arrives at midnight, US Central time. If you leave part-way through, your game is saved and you can carry on later that day.

The hints

Every hint narrows things down. The first ones are broad and could fit several famous answers; the middle ones start to connect the dots; the last ones make it unmistakable. Each hint comes from a different member of the lab crew, and once the game is over the time portal opens onto a picture of the moment itself.

Guessing

• You get one guess per hint. Any answer that isn’t right, even a very close one, uses up the hint and reveals the next.
• Each hint has a 25-second clock. If it runs out before you answer, the hint is used up anyway.
• Type the answer however you know it. Common names all count (“moon landing” or “Apollo 11”), and small typos, capital letters and little words like “the” don’t matter. A related word on its own, like “rocket” for the Moon landing, isn’t enough: you have to name the answer itself.

How near you were

A wrong answer still tells you something:

• Very close: you are describing the right answer but haven’t named it. Be more specific.
• Related event: a different event with a real connection to the answer.
• Right era or right category: another famous event from around the same time, or of the same kind. These start from the third hint, so the first hints stay hard.

Scoring

Your score is the number of hints you needed: solving it on the first hint scores 1/7, on the last 7/7. If no guess is right by the end, the day is lost (X/7) and the answer is revealed with a short explanation either way. The game keeps your games played, wins, streak and how many hints each win took.

Sharing

When you finish, the share button gives you a row of squares, one for each hint you used, with your score and a link to the game. It never includes the answer, so friends can still play.

Playing on more than one device

You don’t need an account. If you sign in with Google, your record and streak follow you to any device, and you still get one game a day wherever you play. Read the privacy policy for what that keeps.

Questions

Is Daily Chronos free?

Yes. It is free to play in your web browser, on a computer or a phone, with nothing to download or install.

How many guesses do I get?

One guess per hint, so up to 7 in all. Any answer that isn’t right, even a very close one, reveals the next hint. Each hint also has a 25-second clock; if it runs out, that hint is used up.

Is there a new challenge every day?

Yes. A new puzzle arrives every day at midnight US Central time. Everyone plays the same one, and each player gets one game a day.

Do I need an account?

No. You can play straight away. Signing in with Google is optional: it keeps your record and streak with you on every device.

What kind of history comes up?

Famous events, inventions, discoveries and historical figures, from the ancient world to the modern era: wars and crises, disasters, science, exploration, politics and the people behind them. The answers are well known; the challenge is working out which one it is from as few hints as possible.

Do I have to spell the answer exactly?

No. Small typos, capital letters and words like “the” don’t matter, and the common names for an answer all count: “moon landing” is as good as “Apollo 11”. A related word on its own, like “rocket” for the Moon landing, isn’t enough.

Can I share my result without spoiling it?

Yes. The share button copies a row of squares showing how many hints you needed, with a link to the game, and never the answer.

Is Daily Chronos like Wordle?

In rhythm, yes: one puzzle a day, the same for everyone, a few minutes to play and a result to share. But instead of a word you are identifying a moment in history, and instead of letter colours you get hints that narrow it down.

Play today’s puzzle