How to Play Facet
Facet is a free daily word square puzzle. A new puzzle is published every day at midnight UTC.
The Goal
Fill the 5x5 grid so that every row and column forms a valid English word. The grid is symmetric, which means the letter in row 2, column 3 is always the same as the letter in row 3, column 2. In other words, the words read the same across and down.
What Makes Facet Unique
Unlike other daily word puzzles, Facet uses symmetric word squares. This is a classic puzzle format with roots going back centuries -- the ancient Roman SATOR square is one of the most famous examples. In a symmetric word square, the grid is its own transpose: if you read the words across, they are the same words you get reading down. This symmetry constraint makes each puzzle a satisfying logic challenge.
How the Grid Works
Each puzzle starts with some letters already revealed to give you a foothold. Tap or click a cell to select it, then type a letter on the keyboard. The cursor moves automatically to the next empty cell.
Some puzzles include 4-letter words. When a row or column is only 4 letters long, one cell in that line will be missing from the grid -- there is simply no cell there.
Indicator Dots
Small dots appear beside each row and above each column. These are your feedback system:
- Green dot -- the word in that row or column is correct.
- Red dot -- the word is not valid. Check your letters.
- Grey dot -- the row or column is not yet fully filled in.
Hints
Stuck? You get 3 free hints per puzzle. Tap the yellow Hint button in the toolbar to reveal a correct letter in an empty cell. Use hints strategically -- once you have used all three, you are on your own.
Tips and Strategy
Because the grid is symmetric, every letter you place actually fills two cells at once (unless it is on the diagonal). Use this to your advantage:
- Start with the diagonal -- letters on the main diagonal (top-left to bottom-right) only appear once, so they are the easiest to reason about.
- Look for common word patterns. If you know the first and last letters of a row, think about what 5-letter words fit. The symmetry constraint will often narrow it down quickly.
- Use the indicator dots. Fill in a full row or column to see if it turns green. If it does, the mirror letters are confirmed too.
- Save your hints for the end. The first few letters are usually the hardest -- once you have some correct words locked in, the remaining letters tend to fall into place.
Scoring and Streaks
Your solve time and hint usage are tracked so you can see your personal stats. Solve puzzles on consecutive days to build a streak. Visit the Archive to catch up on any puzzles you missed.
What is a Word Square?
A word square is a special arrangement of words in a grid where the same words can be read both horizontally and vertically. The concept dates back at least to ancient Rome, where the SATOR square (SATOR, AREPO, TENET, OPERA, ROTAS) was inscribed on walls and artifacts across the empire. In the 19th and 20th centuries, word squares became a popular challenge in recreational mathematics and puzzle magazines.
Facet brings this classic format into a modern daily game, combining the elegance of symmetric word squares with the daily-puzzle habit that games like Wordle popularized.