Monday, October 19, 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.
MAN · POWER
freshman · manpower · powerless — other legal bridges may also count.
Main
3 letters, then 5 letters.
OUT · HOUSE
shootout · outhouse · houseman — other legal bridges may also count.
Challenge
4 letters, then 4 letters.
PLAY · BACK
screenplay · playback · backstage — other legal bridges may also count.
Day 88 ran on Monday, October 19, 2026. Its three bridges were FRESH to LESS, SHOOT to MAN and SCREEN to STAGE. 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 MAN then POWER, which gives freshman, manpower and powerless. The first gap is 3 letters, the second is 5.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins FRESH to LESS, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
The answer is OUT then HOUSE, which gives shootout, outhouse and houseman. The first gap is 3 letters, the second is 5.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins SHOOT to MAN, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
The answer is PLAY then BACK, which gives screenplay, playback and backstage. The first gap is 4 letters, the second is 4.
Only one pair in the KEYSTONE word bank joins SCREEN to STAGE, so this bridge had a single accepted answer. The narrow end is usually the one to solve first.
MAN, POWER, OUT, HOUSE and BACK 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.