FAQ

1. What is the goal of the game?

To join the two corner words using as few words as necessary. Words can be joined to each other by adding new words to the graph that are related in meaning to words that are already there. For an extra challenge, see if you can get your average connection between each word as high as possible.

2. I added a word to the graph, but it didn't form any links. What gives?!

A word needs a strong enough relationship to another word on the board to form a link. The minimum score is about 40% (the exact cutoff is 39.95%). Click a word to see its scores in the sidebar. Linxicon keeps a link if it is among the 5 strongest qualifying links for at least one of its words. As you add stronger links, an older one can disappear. Try building chains rather than concentrating all your words in the middle.

3. How does Linxicon determine how similar words are to each other?

Linxicon compares words using three signals: word vectors from ConceptNet Numberbatch, which represent patterns of meaning and association; dictionary relationships between meanings in WordNet; and shared WordNet topics, which count only when the word vectors also show some similarity.

The final score is the strongest of these three signals, rather than their average. Some dictionary relationships receive fixed scores. The percentage is a game relationship score, not a probability or a measure of how interchangeable two words are. The same pair of words receives the same score regardless of who is playing.

4. Why do some connections seem unusual?

A word can have several meanings, and Linxicon considers multiple dictionary senses without knowing which one you intended. An unfamiliar or figurative meaning can create a strong link even when the meaning you had in mind seems unrelated. Words can also be related without being synonyms.

For example, “still” can mean “not moving,” but it is also the name of equipment used for distilling. That second meaning explains a connection to “distillery,” even if you were thinking of standing still.

The score reflects relationships in the source data, so it may not match the association you had in mind. If a link seems surprising or incorrect, please let me know which words were involved so it can be investigated.

5. Is it possible to lose?

There can only be a maximum of 50 words on the board before the game ends, even if the corner words haven't been connected.

6. Why are some words not allowed?

The game doesn't allow words that are under 3 letters, more than 15 letters, profanities, proper nouns, hyphenated, or contractions. If there's a word that doesn't meet these criteria that isn't being accepted by the game, let me know.

7. This game is hard! Can I get a clue?

After 25 words are on the board, a Clue button will appear. This will suggest a word that another player has used to beat today's game. This will not necessarily be the best word for you to pick, but it should help if you're really stuck. Clues are not available in Practice mode.

8. Does Linxicon have a privacy policy?

Click this link to see Linxicon's privacy policy.