Semantle

Semantle does not judge spelling but meaning: you propose a word, and the game replies with its semantic similarity to the secret word, calculated by word2vec. No boxes, no letters, just an input field, a Guess button, and a banner that gives for the day the similarity of the closest word, the tenth, and the thousandth. Enough to calibrate what a good score means. The recorded game was number 1669, and the historic address semantle.novalis.org now redirects to semantle.com.

1. Type a single word into the input field and submit with Guess.
2. Read the similarity returned and compare it to the day's scale shown at the top of the page.
3. Narrow in from close to closer, without counting your attempts since they are unlimited: the help panel indicates that once you are among the thousand closest words, a proximity column places you precisely.
4. If you get stuck, the Hint and Give Up buttons are placed next to the field.

It's the word game that does without letters: you advance by associations of ideas, and the feeling of circling around a meaning without naming it is unique to Semantle.

Each guess receives a semantic similarity score; below a certain neighborhood, the proximity column also indicates the word's rank among the thousand words closest to the secret word. The top banner gives the day's reference points to interpret these numbers. The recorded game did not validate any guess, the consent banner covering the page.

Daily game

The daily secret word, numbered, with its three similarity reference points displayed at the top of the page.

Semantle Junior

Version presented by the game itself as an escape when the main game is too hard, accessible via a Play Junior button.

Archive

Play Archive button shown under the input field; the recorded session did not open it.

Teams

Button shown next to the others; the recorded session does not show its content.

• The three daily reference points are the most useful tool on the page: without them, a raw score doesn't tell you whether you're getting warmer or just wandering.
• The game reasons in neighborhoods of meaning, so changing register (object, material, use, context) pays off more than listing variants of the same word.