Guide

How to play Venn-acular

Everything you need to know, from your first word to your longest streak.

The basics

Every puzzle shows two overlapping circles. Each circle has a rule written above it. The left circle in the example above is Starts with C and the right circle is Has a double letter.

When you press Start the clock, you have 90 seconds. Type a word and press Enter. The game checks it against the dictionary and both rules, then drops it into the right place:

• Both rules: the word lands in the middle, where the circles overlap. 15 points.
• One rule: the word lands in that circle. 5 points.
• Neither rule: the word lands outside the circles. 0 points, but it does no harm.

What counts as a word

• Words must be at least three letters long and use letters only. The keyboard ignores numbers, spaces and symbols.
• Plurals and other forms count as separate words: cliff and cliffs are both fine.
• You cannot play the same word twice in one round.
• Names of people and places, abbreviations and offensive words are not accepted.

If a real word is rejected, tap Report it. Reports are reviewed and good words are added to the dictionary.

Rare words score double

The puzzles are built around a list of about 21,000 everyday words. Any valid word outside that list is a rare word. Rare words are marked with a gold ✦ and score double: 30 points in the middle and 10 in one circle. A big vocabulary pays off, but you never need obscure words to do well.

Near misses

If a word lands in only one circle, the message under the box tells you what the middle also needs. For example: cat: left circle, +5. For the center it also needs "has a double letter". Use those hints to steer your next guess toward the overlap.

One try per day

Everyone in the world gets the same puzzle on the same date. It unlocks at midnight in your own time zone, and you get one attempt. If you close the page mid-round, the clock keeps running; when you come back you continue where you left off, or see your result if time ran out.

Difficulty through the week

The archive

Missed a day, or want more? The calendar button opens the archive, with every puzzle since January 1, 2026. Each day shows its difficulty, or your score if you have played it. Your archive scores appear on the calendar, but archive games never count toward your stats or your daily streak.

Results, stats and sharing

When time runs out you see your score, how many words you found in each part of the diagram, and how you compare with everyone else who played that puzzle. Share result copies a spoiler-free summary, such as 🔴4 🟣6 🔵3: four words in the left circle, six in the middle and three in the right. The stats screen tracks games played, your current and longest streak, your best and average score, and a chart of your daily scores.

Settings

Choose light or dark mode, or let the game follow your device. On phones and tablets you can turn the key-press vibration on or off, and sound effects can be turned off on any device.

Ready for some tactics? Read the strategy tips, or browse every type of rule the game uses.