Word Association
Pick the most-associated word from 4 candidates. Concept-based. 365 levels.
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What "association" means here
Word association in our daily puzzle isn't about synonym (same meaning) or definition (what the word denotes). It's about topical neighborhood — the words a psychologist would expect you to mention if asked "what comes to mind when you hear X?"
Example: HOSPITAL → DOCTOR. They aren't synonyms (one's a place, the other's a person). They aren't definitionally connected (HOSPITAL = "medical building", which doesn't include the word DOCTOR). But almost everyone associates them. That's the puzzle.
Strategy tips
- Trust your first instinct. Word-association tests reward the most common cultural pairing, which is usually whatever you thought of first.
- Eliminate domain-mismatch. If the prompt is HOSPITAL, distractors from kitchens or forests are obvious skips.
- Don't overthink. The puzzle wants the obvious neighbor, not a clever lateral connection.
Want a different style?
- Synonym/Antonym — same vs opposite meaning
- Daily Connections — sort 16 words into 4 themed groups
- Vocabulary Quiz — pick the correct definition