How to play Tailword — free online word chain game
Chain words by their last letter. Choke on the clock and you lose a life.
- Players
- 3–4
- Length
- ~7 min
- Type
- Word chain
- Price
- Free
Tailword is shiritori on phones. A letter sits on the table; whoever's turn it is types a real word starting with it, and the last letter of that word becomes the next player's letter.
No repeats, and a brutally short turn clock. Miss it and you lose a life. The last Blip standing wins, which means the game gets tenser as the pool of usable words shrinks.
Turn-based under a live clock — cheering (or heckling) whoever's on the spot is the fun.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.
How to play Tailword
The host picks how many lives
Two lives each is the default; three makes a longer match.
A letter lands on someone
Play is turn-based around the circle, with a live clock on whoever's up.
Type a word starting with that letter
It has to be a real word, and it can't be one that's already been played.
Its last letter passes on
The word's final letter becomes the next player's required letter — which is how the chain builds.
Choke and lose a life
Miss the clock and you drop a life. Play continues until one player remains.
What Tailword looks like
How scoring works
Tailword is an elimination game rather than a points game. You start with a set number of lives and lose one each time you miss your turn.
Because words can't repeat, the game naturally gets harder as it runs — the easy words for each letter get used up early.
The last player standing wins the match.
Tips for winning Tailword
- Avoid ending on hard letters. Handing someone a word ending in Y or X is good offence; doing it to yourself later is not.
- Keep a stock of words for the awkward letters. The chain will hand you one eventually.
- Play fast and plain. There's no bonus for a long or impressive word, and the clock is the only real opponent.
- Track what's been used. Repeating a played word costs you the turn just as surely as saying nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How many players do you need for Tailword?
Three to four. It's a turn-based circle game, so it needs enough people for the chain to travel.
Is it like shiritori?
Yes — the same last-letter-to-first-letter chain rule, with a turn clock and lives. It runs free in the browser with the word checking done automatically.
Can I repeat a word?
No. Repeats are rejected, and burning your turn on one usually costs you a life.
Is it free?
Yes, free to play and free to host, and joining needs only the 4-letter code.
Free, no app and no sign-up to join — players hop in with a 4-letter code on their own phone.