Friday, September 11, 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 · backbone — at least 2 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Main
5 letters, then 5 letters.
HEART · BREAK
sweetheart · heartbreak · breakthrough — other legal bridges may also count.
Challenge
4 letters, then 4 letters.
HILL · SIDE
downhill · hillside · sidekick — at least 2 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Day 50 ran on Friday, September 11, 2026. Its three bridges were OUT to BONE, SWEET to THROUGH and DOWN to KICK. 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 backbone. 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 HEART then BREAK, which gives sweetheart, heartbreak and breakthrough. The first gap is 5 letters, the second is 5.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins SWEET to THROUGH, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
The answer is HILL then SIDE, which gives downhill, hillside and sidekick. 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: RIVER · SIDE 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, BREAK and SIDE 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.