Getting started
Open Common Ground and choose a game under Today: Word Link, Chain Reaction, or Last Link. You can also open Practice, Stats, or How to Play from the Home screen. No account is required.
Daily games
Each Daily set is separate from Practice and contributes to your Daily results and streaks.
- Word Link: five puzzles, three attempts per puzzle, optional hints, and points based on your attempts.
- Chain Reaction: three puzzles that increase in difficulty.
- Last Link: five links with three guesses per puzzle. After a miss, an optional Hint may reveal a guaranteed letter. One failed link can be Saved once per Daily run.
Game basics
Word Link
Find one word that connects naturally with all four clue words. The answer may go before or after each clue.
Chain Reaction
Rearrange the scrambled words so every neighboring pair forms a familiar phrase or compound.
Last Link
Use the root word, indirect clue, and answer length to type the intended connecting word. Incorrect guesses can provide positional letter feedback.
Practice
Practice lets you keep playing without changing your Daily score or streak. Word Link and Chain Reaction use replayable five-puzzle sets with difficulty choices. Last Link Practice gives five guesses per puzzle and does not include Hint or Save.
Ads and rewarded features
Common Ground may show interstitial ads at limited result moments. Rewarded ads can optionally unlock Practice play or provide a Last Link Hint or Save. The app does not use banner ads or app-open ads.
Rewarded ads require an internet connection and may not always be available. If an ad does not load, check your connection, wait briefly, and try again. If an ad finishes but the expected reward does not appear, close and reopen the app and include the game, feature, and approximate time in your report.
Progress, stats, and streaks
Scores, streaks, stats, settings, and gameplay progress are stored primarily on your iPhone. Common Ground does not currently provide account-based cloud sync. Deleting or reinstalling the app, clearing its data, or moving to another device may permanently remove local progress.
Troubleshooting
The app freezes, closes, or will not open
Close Common Ground completely and reopen it. If the problem continues, restart your iPhone and confirm that both iOS and Common Ground are updated.
A rewarded ad is not available
Confirm that your iPhone is online. Ad availability can vary, so wait briefly and try again. Rewarded features are optional and may not be available at every moment.
My progress or streak is missing
Progress is stored locally rather than in an account. If the app was deleted, reinstalled, or moved to another device, the previous data may not be recoverable.
The layout does not fit my screen
Restart the app and check for updates. When reporting the problem, include your iPhone model, iOS version, app version, the affected screen, and a screenshot if possible.
I found a wrong or ambiguous puzzle
Include the game name, Daily date or Practice difficulty, puzzle number, clue or word list, the answer you expected, and why the puzzle seems wrong or ambiguous. Screenshots help.
What to include in a report
- Common Ground app version
- iPhone model and iOS version
- Game, mode, puzzle number, and Daily date when relevant
- What you expected and what happened
- Steps that reproduce the problem
- A screenshot that does not contain sensitive information
Contact support
Send questions, bug reports, puzzle feedback, or accessibility concerns.
support@playcommonground.app