Cornerstone

Goal — how to win

You win when you've found every cornerstone word on the grid. The cornerstone list on the right tracks your progress; when the count reaches the total, the puzzle is solved.

Cornerstone words

Common everyday English words like HOUSE, NORTH, or RIDE. These are the words you need to find to win. They appear in the cornerstone panel as blanks (_ _ _ _) until you uncover them.

Other words

Less common dictionary words that are also valid on the grid (e.g. OATEN, NORI). They don't count toward winning, but each one earns you +1 hint. Find the 12-letter keystone word (the long path that uses every cell) for a +5 hint bonus.

How to make a word

• Connect adjacent letters — horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
• Words must be at least 4 letters long.
• You can't reuse the same cell in a single word.

Hints — where to find them

You start with 3 hints. On desktop, the hint buttons live at the bottom of the cornerstone panel on the right. On mobile, tap the “Hints” chip (under the grid) to open that panel.

• Reveal a letter (1 hint) — then click any blank in any cornerstone word.
• Show definition (1 hint) — then click a cornerstone word to see its meaning.

Controls

• Mouse: click and drag across letters.
• Touch: tap and drag.
• Keyboard: arrow keys to move, Space to add a letter, Enter to submit, Backspace to undo, Esc to clear.
• Press ? or H any time to reopen this help.