Daily Puzzle Streaks: How They Work

What counts toward a streak

Each day you can play several daily puzzles. Solve at least one daily puzzle (Guess, Silhouette, Grid or Connections) on a given day and that day is added to your run. You do not need to solve them all, so a quick Silhouette on a busy day keeps the streak going.

Only daily puzzles count. Practice rounds never affect your streak, whether you win or lose them.

When the day changes

A new puzzle appears every day at 11:00 UTC, which is 6 AM EST or 7 AM EDT. The streak follows the same clock, so a day starts at 11:00 UTC and not at midnight in your local time. If you play late in the evening, you are still on the same puzzle day until 11:00 UTC arrives.

Check your own time zone once. 11:00 UTC is early morning in the United States, 6 AM Eastern standard time or 3 AM Pacific, and around midday in much of Europe.

A practical tip is to learn which local hour the reset lands on for you and plan around it. If you like to play before bed, you are playing the puzzle that has been live since the previous morning, and you still have the full window to finish it.

Current streak and best streak

Two numbers are tracked: your current streak and your best streak. The current streak counts the run that ends today. If you have not solved today's puzzle yet, it counts the run that ended yesterday, so your streak is not shown as broken while the day is still in progress.

Your best streak is the longest run you have ever had, and it does not shrink when the current run ends.

These numbers are calculated from the dates on which you solved a daily puzzle. Solving two puzzles on one day counts as one date, so the run depends only on which days you showed up. That also means a streak can be reconstructed from your history, which is why the totals stay consistent from one visit to the next.

What breaks a streak

Missing a whole puzzle day resets the current streak to zero. A lost puzzle does not break it by itself, but a day with no solved puzzle does. Losing the Guess round after eight wrong guesses on a day when you also solve the Silhouette is fine, because the Silhouette solve still counts for that day.

Solving the same puzzle twice never double counts. Each day contributes at most one to the run, no matter how many puzzles you solve.

Because only the puzzle day matters, you can solve today's puzzle at any time before the next reset and keep the run intact. There is no bonus for speed and no penalty for taking all eight guesses, so the streak rewards showing up rather than perfection.

Keeping a streak alive

Treat Silhouette as the safety net, since it is quick and allows four guesses. Play a daily puzzle as part of a routine tied to the 11:00 UTC reset, and use practice mode for experiments, because it carries no risk.

Your results are saved on the server when you finish a daily puzzle, which is why the dailies need a connection. If you are offline, play practice and come back to the daily when you have a signal.

If you travel across time zones, remember the reset stays at 11:00 UTC wherever you are. Setting a phone reminder a little before the reset is a reliable habit, and it takes the guesswork out of whether today's puzzle is still the old one.

FAQ

Do I need to solve both puzzles every day?

No. Solving at least one daily puzzle keeps the streak going.

When does the day change?

At 11:00 UTC, which is 6 AM EST or 7 AM EDT.

Does practice mode count?

No. Practice rounds never affect your streak.