Welcome to Etymon
THE ETYMOLOGY PUZZLE
Etymon is a daily puzzle about the origins of English words. Every day, one word is hidden behind six clues drawn from its etymological history.
The six clues progress from broad context to narrowing detail. Some puzzlers work through them in their heads. Some use pencil and paper. There’s no time limit.
When you’ve solved it, or worked through all six clues, the download button at the bottom of each issue delivers the puzzle’s Answer Card: a single page carrying the answer, an etymology, and a note on the word’s life in modern English.
Here’s a taste of how a puzzle reads:
Each clue is followed by its own Solved in N banner. The banner keeps the next clue out of sight until you scroll, and becomes your sharing graphic if you solve at that clue.
The full puzzle has six clues, each narrowing the field, with a Solved in N banner for each.
The Answer Card is the puzzle’s reveal mechanic. Each puzzle page has an Answer Card download button at the bottom. Open the PDF to discover the answer, etymology, and the word’s life in modern English.
The Solved in N banner is designed to be shared. After completing a puzzle, puzzlers can screenshot and crop the banner, marking which clue revealed the answer.
Substack Notes (Substack’s internal social feed) is a great place to share. Each puzzle page includes a Share on Substack Notes button at the bottom for posting your screenshot. Puzzlers sharing Solved in N screenshots can include #EtymonPuzzle so other puzzlers can find them.
That’s Etymon’s puzzle format, daily.
Playing Etymon
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 longstanding tradition of priceless British quiz swag, receive an annual Etymon Patron Puzzler coffee mug. See Subscriptions for full details
If you're new here, the How to play page is a good place to start.
Otherwise, today’s puzzle waits.
Welcome.