About Etymon
Etymon is a daily etymology puzzle. (Etymon: from Greek étumon, ‘true sense’ or ‘original form’.) Each day one English word is hidden behind six clues drawn from its etymological history. Solve in your head if you can. Pencil and paper if it helps. Etymon rewards attention more than speed.
How it works
Six clues. One word.
Each clue narrows the field, moving from era and origin through linguistic path, literal meaning, cognates, historical or geographical context, and word length toward the answer. Some puzzlers achieve Solved in 1. More reach the answer at Solved in 4 or Solved in 5. Some work through to Solved in 6.
See How to play for more.
Beyond solving
When the answer doesn’t come, the puzzle’s Answer Card with the answer, etymology and note on the word’s life in modern English are still yours. The puzzle does its work even when not solved.
Accumulated knowledge
Every Etymon puzzle reveals one small piece of word history. Over a year, you’ll absorb 365 etymologies: the surprising origins of words you’ve used your whole life. Across years, the knowledge will compound, becoming part of how you read, write, and notice language.
Puzzle format
Each puzzle is published as a numbered issue (Etymon #31, #32, and so on), with a new issue published daily.
Six numbered clues run down the page in sequence, each followed by its corresponding Solved in N tier banner. On phone screens, only one clue and its Solved in N tier banner appear at a time. On desktop, slightly more.
The puzzle's answer is revealed through the Answer Card, a downloadable PDF delivered via the button at the bottom of the page. The Answer Card contains the answer, an etymology, and a note on the word's life in modern English.
Source languages, themes, and archive
Each daily puzzle features a hidden word from one of twenty-three source languages: Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, Early Modern Irish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Modern Irish, Old English, Old French, Old Irish, Old Norse, Persian, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Scottish Gaelic, Spanish, Welsh, or Yiddish.
The puzzles’ hidden words are drawn from one of seventeen historical themes: anatomy, medicine, law, religion, trade, navigation, astronomy, nature, warfare, food, science, art and craft, empire, emotion, domesticity, philosophy, or myth.
Over time, the puzzle archive grows into a substantial collection of word histories across English’s source languages. Each puzzle is tagged by its source language and historical theme, enabling puzzlers to browse the archive by language or theme.
Sharing your Solved in N
Etymon is designed to be shared. Puzzlers can screenshot and share their Solved in N tier banners after completing each puzzle, marking how many clues were required before arriving at the answer. Solved in 6 is as much a part of Etymon as Solved in 1.
Who creates Etymon
Etymon is written and set under the publication’s own name, in the long-standing British crossword convention of setters working under pseudonyms, a tradition reaching back to Torquemada, the pioneer of the cryptic crossword, in The Observer of the 1920s. The publication is created in Bath, UK.
Contact: etymon@etymonpuzzle.com
Publishing schedule
A new daily puzzle goes live at the same time, seven days a week, 365 days a year: 12 noon in the UK, 7am Eastern, 4am Pacific.
Subscriptions
Etymon is published daily, with free, paid, and patron subscription tiers.
Free Puzzlers receive weekday puzzles (Monday - Friday).
Paid Puzzlers receive a new puzzle every day (incl. Saturday & Sunday), plus full puzzle archive access and unlimited online and comment access.
Patron Puzzlers help support Etymon’s free weekday puzzles, receive everything paid subscribers do, plus lifetime named recognition in Etymon’s published Patrons’ Roll. And in the long-standing tradition of priceless British quiz swag, receive an annual Etymon Patron Puzzler coffee mug.
See Subscriptions for full details.
