What is Contexto?
Contexto is a guessing game about how words relate to each other. There's one secret word each day, and every guess you make is given a position number that shows how close it is to the answer in meaning, where the secret word itself is number one. A guess at number 5,000 is far away; one at number 30 is very warm. The ranking comes from a computer model that has learned which words appear in similar contexts, so closeness follows usage and association rather than spelling or dictionary definitions. You start broad, notice which areas of meaning give low numbers, and narrow in step by step. If you get stuck, you can ask for a hint word that brings you closer. Contexto is friendlier than similar games because the position number is easy to read. It suits players who enjoy Semantle-style puzzles and anyone who likes thinking in associations.
How to play
- Guess any word. It gets a number: the lower, the closer.
- The secret word is number 1. Follow the low numbers.
- Ask for a hint if you get stuck.
Quick facts
- Typical time
- 5–20 min
- Difficulty
- Medium · it varies a lot from day to day
- Price
- Free to play.
- Account
- Not needed.
- Past puzzles
- Free. Earlier games can be replayed from the menu.
- On a phone
- In the browser. There are also phone apps.
- Guesses
- Unlimited. You can ask for hints, or give up to see the answer.
Tips to get better
- Open with a spread of topics. Start with broad words from different areas: animal, food, house, person, money, music, nature. One will rank far better than the rest and show you where to dig.
- Compare your best guesses. If 'river' ranks 40 and 'boat' ranks 900, the word is about water in nature, not about transport. Ask what your top few guesses have in common.
- Think about context, not definitions. The ranking is built on words that appear in the same kind of sentences. 'Doctor' is close to 'hospital' and 'patient', not only to 'nurse'. Try words you'd expect to find in the same text.
- Change the angle when you stall. Stuck around number 50? Try what your best word is made of, where you'd find it, what it's used for and what it's part of.
- Once you're warm, get specific. When a guess lands near the top, stop testing new topics. Stay in that area and work through its narrower words.
Who it's for
Contexto suits people who think in associations and don't mind a puzzle without a clear path. Some days you'll land on the word in ten guesses. Other days you'll be at eighty and cross. The ranking comes from a computer model, so now and then it disagrees with common sense. It's the friendlier of the two meaning games: Semantle is the same idea with the difficulty turned up.
