PerDiem has five free daily word games, and no two work the same way. There's a word ladder, a themed word search, a word-grouping puzzle and two crosswords. Each gets a new puzzle every day.
Duet: a word ladder scored like golf
Duet gives you a start word and a goal word. Get from one to the other one step at a time: change a letter, add one, drop one, or rearrange them all. Every step has to be a real word. Par runs from 3 on Monday to 7 on Sunday, and beating it is the fun part. Word ladders go back to Lewis Carroll, who called them Doublets. Read how to play Duet.
Throughline: a themed word search
Throughline hides several theme words in a grid of 48 letters, and together they use every letter exactly once. One word stretches across the whole board. If you play Strands, you'll feel at home. Read how to play Throughline.
Association: four groups of four
Association hides four groups of four in sixteen words, with four mistakes allowed. It's our take on games like Connections. Read how to play Association.
Mini and Midi: crosswords
Mini is a 5 by 5 crossword for a coffee break. Midi is bigger, from 9 by 9 to 11 by 11 depending on the day. More on free mini crosswords.
Which word game should I start with?
Mini is the quickest. Association is the most social, since everyone argues about the purple group. Duet is the one to pick if you like a number to beat. Every game is free, runs in your browser and needs no account.
PerDiem Games isn't affiliated with The New York Times. Strands and Connections are their games. See games like NYT Games.