KEYSTONE · Day 42

Thursday, September 3, 2026 — three word bridges. Answers appear here once the day is over.

Every neighbouring pair has to make one word. 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

BOW????????LESS

3 letters, then 5 letters.

Main

GOOD?????????OUT

5 letters, then 4 letters.

Challenge

MORE????????OFF

4 letters, then 4 letters.

What day 42 asks you to do

Day 42 is live right now. The three bridges are BOW to LESS, GOOD to OUT and MORE to OFF. Each one needs two middle words, and every neighbouring pair has to read as a single ordinary word once you push them together.

Warm-up — BOW to LESS. The first gap takes a 3-letter word and the second takes a 5-letter word. Whatever you put in the first gap has to work twice: once behind BOW and once in front of your second word.

Main — GOOD to OUT. The first gap takes a 5-letter word and the second takes a 4-letter word. Whatever you put in the first gap has to work twice: once behind GOOD and once in front of your second word.

Challenge — MORE to OFF. The first gap takes a 4-letter word and the second takes a 4-letter word. Whatever you put in the first gap has to work twice: once behind MORE and once in front of your second word.

The fastest way in is usually to think in hinge words: words that can attach on both sides, like HOUSE in GREENHOUSE and HOUSEBOAT, or OUT in BLACKOUT and OUTDOOR. Our reference list of 141 compound word hinges shows which words attach to each one on either side.

2 of today's prompt words are heavy hinges in their own right and have a page each: OUT and OFF. Those pages list every compound those words take part in, which is a legitimate way in — they say nothing about which pairs are today's answers.

Answers for day 42 are published on this page after the day ends. Nothing above gives them away. If you want worked answers now, the archive has every finished day.

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