Friday, July 24, 2026 — three word bridges.
SOME → DAY → LIGHT → HOUSE works because someday, daylight and lighthouse are all words. You are given the two ends; you supply the middle. More than one bridge is often legal, and any legal bridge counts.Warm-up
3 letters, then 5 letters.
DAY · LIGHT
someday · daylight · lighthouse — at least 3 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Main
4 letters, then 3 letters.
DOOR · MAN
outdoor · doorman · mandate — at least 4 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Challenge
3 letters, then 4 letters.
GUN · FIRE
handgun · gunfire · fireplace — other legal bridges may also count.
Day 1 ran on Friday, July 24, 2026. Its three bridges were SOME to HOUSE, OUT to DATE and HAND to PLACE. Between them they build nine compound words, all listed at the bottom of this page. Below is the answer to each bridge and what makes it fit.
The answer is DAY then LIGHT, which gives someday, daylight and lighthouse. The first gap is 3 letters, the second is 5.
This bridge is not unique. KEYSTONE accepts 3 different pairs here and every one of them scores: BODY · GUARD and TIME · OUT work just as well as the pair above. Ends like these sit in the crowded part of the compound-word network, which is why several routes cross them.
The answer is DOOR then MAN, which gives outdoor, doorman and mandate. The first gap is 4 letters, the second is 3.
This bridge is not unique. KEYSTONE accepts 4 different pairs here and every one of them scores: HOUSE · MAN, LAW · MAN and POST · MAN work just as well as the pair above. Ends like these sit in the crowded part of the compound-word network, which is why several routes cross them.
The answer is GUN then FIRE, which gives handgun, gunfire and fireplace. The first gap is 3 letters, the second is 4.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins HAND to PLACE, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.