What is Thruline?
Thruline is a daily visual word puzzle. Four images share one connecting word, but only the first picture is visible when you begin. You try to identify the connection before needing the rest of the clues.
The pictures can lead you toward different meanings or uses of the same word. The task is to find a word that explains the whole set, rather than simply name the most prominent object in one image.
How the pictures are revealed
A wrong guess reveals the next image. You can also choose Skip when you would rather gain another clue than commit to an answer. After all four images are visible, you get one final guess.
Revealed images can be tapped to zoom in. This is helpful when a small detail matters, but the eventual answer still has to connect the different pictures rather than depend on an incidental feature in just one.
How to find the connecting word
- Open the daily puzzle and study the first picture.
- List a few possible words, including alternate meanings and common expressions.
- Submit a guess, or select Skip to reveal another image if your ideas are too broad.
- Reconsider the earlier picture each time a new clue appears and look for a word that fits them together.
- Make your final choice once the connection becomes clear, remembering that the fourth revealed image leaves one last guess.
Tips for visual word association
Move beyond literal labels. An image can suggest an action, material, sound, or part of an expression as well as the object it depicts. For an illustrative connection, a musical performance and a body of water might both point toward different meanings of a word.
Do not discard the first image when the second changes your thinking. The best candidate should make the earlier clue more understandable too. Thruline suits players who enjoy image riddles and the moment when several unrelated-looking pictures suddenly align.