Duet is a free daily word ladder scored like golf. You get from a start word to a goal word one move at a time, and every step has to be a real word. Finish in fewer moves than par and you're under par.
How do you play Duet?
- Start at the bottom word. The goal word sits at the top.
- Type a new word and press Enter. It has to be one move away from your last word.
- A move is one of four things: change a letter, add a letter, drop a letter, or rearrange them all.
- Keep stacking words until you reach the goal.
- Your score is your moves compared with par, the shortest route the game found.
Words can be 3 to 8 letters long. You can't use the same word twice in one ladder.
What are moves, and why do anagrams matter?
Changing one letter is the classic word ladder move. Adding and dropping letters let a word grow or shrink. Rearranging is the twist: shuffle every letter into a new word, and it counts as one move.
Rearranging is a shortcut because letter changes can't move letters around. Say the start is NOTE and the goal is STONY:
- NOTE to NOTES: add an S.
- NOTES to STONE: rearrange the letters.
- STONE to STONY: change the E to a Y.
Three moves. Letter changes alone can't carry that S from the back to the front. When you're stuck, look at your current word's letters and ask what else they spell.
What do Birdie, Eagle and Bogey mean?
Duet uses golf names for how you finished against par:
| Name | Result |
|---|---|
| Albatross | 3 or more under par |
| Eagle | 2 under par |
| Birdie | 1 under par |
| Par | exactly par |
| Bogey | 1 over par |
| Double bogey | 2 over par |
| Triple bogey | 3 over par |
Past that, the game just shows how many over you went. Under par is possible because par only uses everyday words. You can type a wider range of words, and a less common one can open a shorter route.
How does Duet change through the week?
Par grows as the week goes on, so the start and goal words sit further apart:
| Day | Par |
|---|---|
| Monday | 3 |
| Tuesday | 4 |
| Wednesday | 4 |
| Thursday | 5 |
| Friday | 5 |
| Saturday | 6 |
| Sunday | 7 |
Hint and Undo
Undo takes back your last word. A word you undo doesn't count against you, so you can try a path and back out of it.
Hint plays the next word on a shortest route for you. It counts as a move, plus a one-stroke penalty. Undoing a hinted word doesn't take back the penalty. If there's no route from where you are, the game tells you to try Undo.
Tips for beating par
- Work backward too. Look at the goal word and think about what words sit one move away from it.
- Check for anagrams at every step. A rearrange can jump you much closer to the goal than any single letter change.
- Match the goal's length early. If the goal is longer, look for a chance to add a letter. If it's shorter, look for one to drop.
- Use Undo freely. Only the words left in your ladder count.
- Save hints for real dead ends. Each one costs a stroke on top of the move it makes.
How is Duet scored?
Your score is your moves, plus one for each hint, minus par. Even par shows as E, and the results screen shows your route next to the par route. A timer runs while you play, and you can hide it in your preferences.
Signed-in players get a daily leaderboard where the lowest score wins and time breaks ties, plus a friends-only board. Your streak, best score and average stay on your device, or follow you across devices with an account.
How do you share your result?
The Share button copies your moves against par. It gives away no words. On a phone it opens your share sheet.
Duet #10 / 5 moves (par 4) perdiem.games/duet
Is Duet like a word ladder?
Yes. Duet is a word ladder, the puzzle Lewis Carroll called Doublets, where you change one letter at a time. Duet adds three more moves: add a letter, drop a letter, or rearrange them all. It also scores every ladder against par.
Common questions
Is Duet a two-player game?
No. Duet is single-player. Everyone gets the same start and goal word each day.
Can I play again after finishing?
Yes. Play again lets you replay the ladder, but only your first finish of the day counts.
Can I play past puzzles?
Yes. Past days open from the week strip on your results screen.
Do I need an account?
No. Duet is free and runs in your browser. An account keeps your streak across devices and adds leaderboards.