Throughline is a free daily word search with a theme. A grid of 48 letters hides a set of theme words, and together they use every letter exactly once. One of them, the key word, stretches from one side of the board to the other.
How do you play Throughline?
- Read today's theme clue above the grid.
- Press on a letter and drag through touching letters to spell a word. Diagonals count. Lift your finger to try it.
- A theme word locks in and turns light green. The key word turns a deeper green.
- Spell a real word that isn't in the theme and it charges the Hint button instead.
- Find every theme word to finish. The clock stops, and your results show the key word, your time and how many hints you used.
The board is 6 letters wide and 8 tall. Each letter belongs to exactly one theme word, so nothing on the board is filler.
How does the key word work?
The key word touches two opposite sides of the board: left and right, or top and bottom. It usually names the theme itself, so it's often the most useful word to find.
It doesn't run in a straight line. Like every word on the board, it bends and zigzags through touching letters. Look for a long word that could start on one edge and wander to the far one.
Finding it early pays off twice. You learn what the theme really means, and a long word comes off the board. Fewer letters are left to sort through.
The progress bar shows this too. Most of it fills as you find theme words, and the last part fills only when you find the key word.
How do you earn hints?
Hints aren't handed out. You earn them by finding other words.
- Spell any real word of 4 letters or more that isn't a theme word. It counts toward a hint and fills a third of the Hint button.
- Three of those words earn one hint. Each word counts once.
- Tap Hint to outline the letters of one theme word you haven't found yet.
- Tap Hint again to show the order of those letters. That spends a second hint.
- After each hint there's a short cooldown of five seconds.
A hint never points at the key word unless it's the last word left. Hints used show on your results, so it's worth spending one only when you're truly stuck.
Tips for finding every word
- Read the clue loosely. Themes are often a pun or a twist, not a plain category.
- Hunt the key word first. Scan the edges for letters that could start a long word.
- Work the corners. A corner letter has only three neighbors, so the words that use it are easy to narrow down.
- Use the leftovers. Every letter is used once. Late in the puzzle, the letters still unlit spell exactly the words you're missing.
- Treat wrong guesses as progress. Any real non-theme word you trace builds toward a hint.
How is Throughline scored?
There's no losing. You play until every theme word is found, and a timer counts up while you solve. Your time is your score. You can hide the timer in your preferences.
Signed-in players get a daily leaderboard ranked by time, with hints used breaking ties, plus a friends-only board. Your streak and games played are on your results screen.
How do you share your result?
The Share button copies the day number, your time and the theme clue. It shows the theme but none of the words. On a phone it opens your share sheet.
Throughline #10 / 3:05 "Pantry staples" perdiem.games/throughline
Is Throughline like Strands?
Yes, closely. Both give you a theme clue and a letter grid where every letter is used once. Both have one word that spans the board from side to side: Strands calls it the spangram, Throughline calls it the key word. Throughline isn't affiliated with the New York Times or its games.
Common questions
How many words are on each board?
It varies by puzzle. The bar above the grid fills as you find them, so you can see roughly how far along you are.
Do I have to find the non-theme words?
No. They only earn hints. You finish when every theme word is found.
Why doesn't my word count?
Non-theme words need at least 4 letters and must be in the game's word list. A word you've already counted won't count twice.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes. Past days open from the week strip on your results screen.
Do I need an account?
No. Throughline is free and runs in your browser. An account keeps your streak across devices and adds leaderboards.