Monday, October 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
3 letters, then 4 letters.
OUT · DOOR
knockout · outdoor · doorman — at least 4 different legal bridges exist for this one, so a different answer may well have counted too.
Main
5 letters, then 4 letters.
BREAK · DOWN
heartbreak · breakdown · download — other legal bridges may also count.
Challenge
3 letters, then 4 letters.
BED · TIME
deathbed · bedtime · timeless — other legal bridges may also count.
Day 74 ran on Monday, October 5, 2026. Its three bridges were KNOCK to MAN, HEART to LOAD and DEATH to LESS. 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 OUT then DOOR, which gives knockout, outdoor and doorman. The first gap is 3 letters, the second is 4.
This bridge is not unique. KEYSTONE accepts 4 different pairs here and every one of them scores: OUT · HOUSE, OUT · LAW and OUT · POST 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 BREAK then DOWN, which gives heartbreak, breakdown and download. The first gap is 5 letters, the second is 4.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins HEART to LOAD, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
The answer is BED then TIME, which gives deathbed, bedtime and timeless. The first gap is 3 letters, the second is 4.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins DEATH to LESS, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
OUT, DOOR, BREAK, DOWN, BED and TIME 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.