How to Play Contexto
Contexto is a word guessing game where meaning matters more than spelling. You guess words and the game tells you how semantically close each guess is to the secret word.
What Is Contexto?
Contexto is a daily word puzzle. There is one secret word, and your job is to figure out what it is. You type any English word and the game assigns it a rank - a number that tells you how close your guess is in meaning to the answer.
Rank 1 is the secret word itself. A rank of 50 means your guess is very close. A rank of 800 means it is far off. The ranking is based on how often words appear in similar contexts across large amounts of text.
How Ranking Works
Every word in the game has been pre-ranked by its semantic distance from the secret word. Words that tend to appear in the same sentences or paragraphs as the secret word get low ranks. Words with no real connection get high ranks.
For example, if the secret word is "dog", the word "puppy" might rank around 5, "cat" around 20, "leash" around 40, and "airplane" above 500. The ranking reflects meaning, not spelling or rhyming.
Color Zones
Each guess row is color-coded so you can quickly tell how close it is:
Green (Rank 1–100)
You are close. The word is strongly related to the secret word.
Yellow (Rank 101–300)
Getting warmer. There is some connection, but you are not there yet.
Red (Rank 301+)
Far away. Try a different direction.
Step by Step
- Type a word — Enter any word in the input box and tap Guess.
- Read the rank — The game shows a number. Lower is better. Rank 1 is the answer.
- Check the color — Green means close, yellow means medium, red means far.
- Narrow your guesses — Use the ranks to move toward lower numbers. Think about words related to your best guesses.
- Find the word — Keep guessing until you hit rank 1. That is the secret word.
Example Round
Say the secret word is "guitar". Here is how a round might go:
"airplane" has nothing to do with guitars, so it ranks high. "concert" is in the right area. "string" is very close. Then you guess the actual word.
Using Hints
Stuck? Tap the Hint button. It reveals a word ranked between 100 and 200, which narrows things down without giving away the answer. You can use multiple hints per game, but each one counts toward your total.
Game Modes
Contexto91 has two modes:
Quick Tips
- Start with broad category words: "food", "animal", "place", "tool".
- Pay attention to rank jumps. A big drop means you are heading in the right direction.
- Once you are in the green zone, think of synonyms and closely related words.
- Secret words are usually common, everyday nouns.
Ready to play?
Play Contexto