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Pair Down

Choose one letter to remove from each word to make new words. The chosen letters should form word(s) as well.
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What is Pair Down?

Pair Down is a free daily word puzzle from Jeff Chen and Jim Horne. Each row contains a word with extra letters hidden inside; your goal is to remove the extras so the remaining letters form another valid word. The letters you remove, read top to bottom, spell a secret word or phrase.

How to play Pair Down

In Level One, remove exactly one letter from each row so the letters left behind spell a real word. In Level Two, remove two consecutive letters from each row, again leaving real words. The removed letters spell the day's secret word or phrase, and in Level Two the first and second letters of each removed pair also form a message.

Tips & strategy

  • Look for words that become other words when a common prefix or suffix is removed, such as a single leading or trailing letter.
  • In Level Two, remember the two letters you remove must be consecutive within each row, so watch for adjacent pairs that seem out of place.
  • Use the secret word or phrase as a clue to check whether your removed letters make sense.
  • In Hard mode, only click fuzzed letters when you need to confirm a guess; fewer clicks earns more stars.
  • If you are stuck, try using the reveal, reset, or show results options rather than guessing randomly.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pair Down free?

Yes, the site describes Pair Down as a free daily word game.

How often does a new puzzle appear?

Pair Down is a daily puzzle, and the site shows a countdown to the next puzzle.

What is Hard mode?

In Hard mode, some letters are fuzzed out and come into focus when you click them. Using fewer clicks earns more stars.

Can I play past puzzles?

Yes, the site includes a daily archive of previous puzzles.

Is there an app?

Pair Down appears to be played in the browser at pairdown.com; no separate app is mentioned.

Where to play

Play Pair Downpairdown.com · free, new puzzle daily
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