Chainle #2 – Nov 11, 2026 – clues and what each round wants

Notes on the Chainle puzzle 11 November 2026

This Chainle puzzle is daily No. 2, dated 11 November 2026 (2026-11-11). While this UTC date is still current, the notes stay free of listed connections. They name the clues, the kind of link each round wants, and a way to approach it. The listed connections are written here after 00:00 UTC, when this date is no longer today.

Play on the home page if you want the streak. There is no account and no timer. When the date is no longer today, this same URL keeps the clues and adds the reason each listed connection holds. The notes name the clues and the kind of link each round wants.

Read the five rounds in order. Rounds 1 to 3 are two-word bridges, round 4 is a three-word bridge, and round 5 is a closest connection. Round 5 has that name because one clue asks for a near synonym, not a word that stands between two others. Each note below is about that round's clues only.

Round 1, two-word bridge

Round 1 is a two-word bridge. The clues on the board are river and piggy. One English word has to meet both of them in speech a fluent person would recognize. Read river with a candidate, then read piggy with the same candidate. If either phrase sounds invented for the puzzle, set that candidate aside and try another. A word that loves only the easier clue is the usual miss on an opening bridge. The two clues come from different rooms, which is the point of a bridge. A candidate that fits only one of them spends the round. Say both phrases out loud. A blank guess, a non-word, and a repeat of a clue do not spend the round.

Round 2, two-word bridge

Round 2 is a fresh two-word bridge, not a continuation of round 1. The clues are shoe and trunk. Forget the first pair. Say shoe and your candidate as a phrase, then do the same with trunk. The second pair often uses a different kind of double life: a tool, a place, or an object that English already lets you name twice. Do not reuse a guess from round 1 just because it felt close. The second bridge rewards a clean slate. Two clues again, one word, and a different reason for each clue. Ask whether both phrases are already English.

Round 3, two-word bridge

Round 3 is the last two-word bridge of the Chainle puzzle. The clues are fishing and curtain. By now the habit is to rush. Slow down on purpose. Write two short phrases in your head, one for each clue, and keep only a candidate that survives both. A rhyme, a shared first letter, or a word from the same room is not yet a bridge. fishing and curtain have to accept the same word for different, ordinary reasons. You have seen the shape twice. Trust the shape, not the first word that felt showy. The strongest listed word is 1,000. A listed alternative keeps a floor from 200 to 980. An unlisted recognized word scores from 10 to 900.

Round 4, three-word bridge

Round 4 is the three-word bridge. The clues are bee, moon, and comb. A beautiful pair is not enough, because the third clue has to accept the word as well. Players often solve bee and moon and then notice comb standing apart. Treat that third clue as a veto. If your candidate cannot sit next to comb in a normal sentence, it is not the connection this round is asking for. Check all three before you submit. Find a word for the first pair, then force the third clue into the same sentence. If the third clue rejects it, it is the wrong word. Submit when all three clues agree.

Round 5, closest connection

Round 5 is a closest connection, not a bridge. The single clue is sharp. You want a near synonym: the everyday word a careful speaker could put in the same definition. A word from the same scene, a rhyme, or a looser cousin can still be a real word and still score low. Ask which word you would accept if someone asked you what sharp means, and submit that word rather than a topic neighbor. The closest connection looks easier and sometimes is. A second sense of the clue can tempt you. Prefer the plain synonym over a word from the same scene.

Taken together, this puzzle is five chances to name one word. The home page is where that naming counts. This page is where you can read the shape of each round without a spoiler while the date above is still current.

Use the links under the article for the archive index, how to play, and scoring. A blank guess, a string that is not a recognized word, and a repeat of a clue do not spend the round. Recognized words come from the Google 10,000 English words list, no-swears edition, plus a short extra list of classroom words. This page does not print tomorrow's clues, and it does not print the listed connections while the date is still today.

Read what a word bridge puzzle is and the changelog. Meaning scores use ConceptNet Numberbatch 19.08 (CC BY-SA 4.0).