How to play Finish the Word
Finish the Word is a free browser word game for 2–5 players. Build a word chain together while competing to be the last player with a life remaining.
Example: apple → elephant → tiger. The final letter becomes the next starting letter unless a bonus prefix appears. Learn about this independent browser version.
Your first match
- Enter a unique name and press Play now for a casual two-player match. Open Change to choose Ranked or 2–5 players. You can also create a private room or practice against a bot.
- On your turn, type a word beginning with the displayed letter. Occasionally, you must match a longer bonus prefix or the previous word’s ending.
- Press Enter or tap Send before the countdown expires. Your opponent sees your letters as you type.
- Accepted words enter the word trail. Tap one to look up its meaning during or after the match. Usually the last letter becomes the next player’s starting letter; follow the displayed prefix when a bonus appears.
- Start with two lives. A timeout or using all your attempts costs one life. The last player remaining wins.
See the whole table
In 3–5 player matches, every player keeps a fixed seat around the arena. The banner and active seat marker show whose turn it is. Use Fullscreen above the arena to expand the game, with chat and progress panels still available. Exit fullscreen or press Escape to return. Browsers without native fullscreen use an expanded page view.
Frequently asked questions
Who chooses the starting letter?
Before the match and after a life loss, a randomly selected surviving player picks from four letters. They have 8 seconds before an automatic pick. Ranked favors lower-rated players: each 400 Elo below the highest surviving player adds one selection weight, capped at three. Equal ratings and unrated modes use equal odds. The next player in turn order plays the first word, using exactly the selected letter.
How do bonus prefixes work?
After an accepted word, there is an 8% chance to carry over a recognized ending shortened to friendly prompts such as ING → IN, AGE → AG, ATE → AT or URE → UR, and a 17% chance to extend the final letter into a two-letter prefix. Each bonus requires at least five unused dictionary answers; otherwise the next turn uses the final letter. Follow the full prefix shown on screen.
What is Finish the Word?
Finish the Word is a free online multiplayer word-chain game for 2–5 players. Start each word with the required letter or prefix, beat the countdown, and outlast the other players.
How do words and spelling attempts work?
Each turn starts with five attempts. Repeated words, incorrect starting letters or prefixes, and words outside the dictionary each cost one attempt. The allowance drops to four at 15 accepted trail words, three at 30, two at 45, and one at 60. Running out costs one life. Attempts reset to the current allowance on the next turn.
How fast does the timer get?
Turns begin at 15 seconds and get one second shorter after each round of player turns, down to five seconds. Every player in the match follows the same timer rules. Rejected words do not pause the timer or add time.
Can I play with friends?
Yes. Choose Play with friends, create a room for 2–5 players, and tap Invite friends to share a link, or share the four-character room code. Friends open the link or enter the code to join. The host can start once all seats are filled. Private rooms are unrated.
What is the difference between ranked and casual?
Ranked matches affect your Elo and unlock rank cosmetics. Casual matches, private rooms, and bot practice do not affect Elo. Online queues match players choosing the same mode and player count.
How do word streaks work?
Accepted words of 5+ letters on your own consecutive turns grow your flame. Short words, Roman numerals, rejected answers and lost lives reset the current streak, but your best stays. At match end, streaks of 3, 5 and 8 unlock permanent Spark, Blaze and Inferno profile badges in multiplayer matches. Bot practice does not unlock these badges. Your best also appears in match history and shared results.
How do Word Power and streaks affect Elo?
Word Power still rewards longer accepted words, up to 30%, reaching full weight after five answers. Best streaks of 3, 5 or 8 add 3%, 6% or 10%. The combined bonus is capped at 40%: wins gain more and losses cost less, subject to rounding. Forfeits receive no loss protection. Casual, private rooms and practice remain unrated.
What happens if my connection drops?
The game reconnects automatically. During your turn or letter choice, a missing heartbeat can pause the shared clock for up to eight seconds, once per player per match. Returning early resumes the same clock for everyone; the normal timer continues when the allowance expires. No extra lives or attempts are awarded.
Does it work on phones?
You can play in a mobile browser without downloading an app. Tap the word input to open your keyboard, then use Send to submit. Desktop players can also press Enter.
Do I need an account?
Choose a unique player name to start. Your browser remembers your profile. Set an optional secret recovery key in your profile so you can restore it with your name if browser data is lost.
How do I earn an extra life?
Use all 26 alphabet letters across your own accepted words in one match to earn one extra life. Each player can earn this bonus only once per match.
Can I learn what a word means?
Yes. Tap any word in the live word trail, the daily chain, or a match result card to open its dictionary lookup. Choose a language or original spelling when there is more than one. Definitions come from Wiktionary and are shown in English, with a link to the full entry. The match clock keeps running, so you can also explore the trail after the game. Some accepted words may not have a definition available; that does not change whether the game accepts them.
Which words can I use?
The game uses English, Spanish and German word lists, plus valid Roman numerals of at least two letters, such as IV, IX and XIV. Roman numerals follow the same starting-prefix and no-repeat rules, but do not build word streaks or Word Power. Accents are normalized. A word must meet the shown prefix and cannot have appeared earlier in the match.