Saturday, September 5, 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
4 letters, then 4 letters.
COME · BACK
outcome · comeback · background — at least 2 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Main
4 letters, then 5 letters.
BACK · WATER
quarterback · backwater · waterway — other legal bridges may also count.
Challenge
5 letters, then 4 letters.
HOUSE · WORK
firehouse · housework · workshop — at least 2 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Day 44 ran on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Its three bridges were OUT to GROUND, QUARTER to WAY and FIRE to SHOP. 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 COME then BACK, which gives outcome, comeback and background. The first gap is 4 letters, the second is 4.
This bridge is not unique. KEYSTONE accepts 2 different pairs here and every one of them scores: SET · BACK works 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 BACK then WATER, which gives quarterback, backwater and waterway. The first gap is 4 letters, the second is 5.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins QUARTER to WAY, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
The answer is HOUSE then WORK, which gives firehouse, housework and workshop. The first gap is 5 letters, the second is 4.
This bridge is not unique. KEYSTONE accepts 2 different pairs here and every one of them scores: WOOD · WORK works 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.
BACK, WATER, HOUSE and WORK have a page listing every compound built on them and the other chains you can run through them.
Every one of those nine compounds turns on a hinge word doing double duty. If you want to see the whole set KEYSTONE draws from, the reference list of 141 compound word hinges gives the words that attach in front of and behind each one.