etymle.
A–Z
Guess where English got its word

3 strikes. Clues appear after each guess.

0/3 strikes

How to play

  1. Find the language English got this word from.
  2. Keep going: guess each earlier language.
  3. Finish the chain before three strikes.

Correct guesses are free. Three strikes for the whole journey.

🌐 Family help lasts until your first correct family or language. Wrong guesses reset at each language step.

↳ Earlier in the word’s journey≈ Related language↑ ↓ ← → Where to look

Want another word? Tap New game at the top. Your daily score stays saved.

WORDS WITH RECEIPTS

Follow the evidence.

Trace the language stages in each word’s dictionary-backed tree, from English toward its oldest supported ancestor. Historical varieties of French and Latin share one game label; consecutive stages with the same label count once. Documented alternative routes are accepted. We do not extend the chain to speculative prehistoric languages. Each reveal links to its dictionary sources. This collection was checked against Merriam-Webster’s Word History entries. Explanations are paraphrased; dates give the first recorded English use, rather than an exact arrival date.

Language families are broad classifications. Region clues refer to the borrowing context, not everyone who speaks a language today. Directional arrows compare broad historical language cores. They appear only when those areas are clearly separated. A region match takes priority over modern speaker locations.

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