How to Keep a Daily Puzzle Streak Going

What counts toward a streak

• Solving any daily puzzle or quiz on its own day counts for that day. One solve is enough; you do not need to play every puzzle.
• The day changes at midnight Mountain Time (Calgary, Alberta), whatever your own time zone. If you live far east or west of that, note when your local midnight falls relative to the site's; the countdown on the home page shows the time left for today's puzzles.
• Archive puzzles (earlier days) count toward your statistics but not toward your streak or the leaderboards. A streak cannot be repaired by playing yesterday's puzzle today.
• Practice puzzles and the browser-only games (arcade, card games against robots, board games) do not count toward streaks: they are not daily puzzles.
• Guests get a streak in their own browser; a free account keeps it across devices.

The account that keeps your streak

A free account needs a username and a password: no email address and no phone number. It keeps your streak, your statistics and your achievements wherever you sign in, and it puts your first attempts on the daily leaderboards. Because there is no email, there is no password reset by email either: when you sign up you choose a six-digit recovery PIN and receive a backup recovery key, shown once. Keep both somewhere safe; with your username, the PIN and the key you can set a new password. Nobody, including the site, can see or reset your password otherwise.

Leaderboards: first attempt only

Each daily puzzle has a leaderboard for its day. Only a member's first finished attempt on the day counts, so a second go at a puzzle for a better time changes nothing on the board (though it still counts as practice for you). The ranking depends on the game: guessing games by fewest guesses, Word Ladder by fewest steps, Light Switch, Slide Puzzle and Pairs by fewest moves, Word Wheel and TriPeaks by most points, the quizzes by most correct answers, and the rest by time, with ties going to the faster time. A crossword finished with Check or Reveal still counts for your streak and statistics but is not ranked.

Statistics and achievements

Your statistics page shows your current and best streaks, puzzles solved, games played, results per game with your best times, your Daily Word guess distribution and the achievements you have unlocked. Achievements range from a first solve to long streaks and a perfect quiz. The figures come from the server only when you are signed in, and only you see them; leaderboards show your username and nothing else.

Habits that keep a streak alive

1. Anchor the puzzle to something you already do. With the first coffee, on the train, after lunch. A habit attached to an existing habit needs no reminder.
2. Keep a one-minute fallback. On busy days, Quick Word or a ten-question quiz keeps the streak with almost no time.
3. Play early in the site's day when travelling. If you cross time zones, play as soon as the new puzzles are out rather than at "your" usual hour.
4. Use the countdown. The home page shows how long today's puzzles have left.
5. Do not chase perfection. A solved puzzle with a slow time keeps the streak; an unsolved one does not. Finish first, improve tomorrow.
6. If the streak breaks, start again that day. A broken streak feels like a reason to stop; a new day-one is the only cure.

Streaks and well-being

A streak should be a pleasure, not a leash. If you find yourself playing a puzzle at 11:58 p.m. with no enjoyment just to keep a number, take the hint and play for the puzzle rather than the count. The statistics page keeps your best streak forever, so nothing is lost when a run ends.

Glossary

• Streak: consecutive days with at least one daily puzzle or quiz solved on its own day.
• Best streak: the longest streak you have ever had.
• First attempt: the first finished play of a puzzle on its day, the only one ranked.
• Archive: earlier days' puzzles; they count for statistics, not streaks.
• Recovery PIN and backup key: the two things, with your username, that let you set a new password.