The rules, step by step
- Sixteen words on the table, hiding four groups of four.
- Tap four words that belong together, then lock them in.
- Right: the thread is revealed and its words leave the board. Wrong: one of your four lives is spent — and “one away” means exactly three of yours share a thread.
- Four wrong guesses folds the puzzle; the threads you found still count.
- The clock counts UP. The weekly board ranks full solves by time, so think first and guess second.
- Play it alone or with one friend on a second phone — either of you can lock a guess in, and you land on the same leaderboard.
Scoring and the fiddly bits
The deal
Sixteen words hiding four groups of four, coloured easy to hard as they are found. The board stays hidden until the run starts, and starting spends your run for the week.
A guess
Exactly four distinct words still on the table. Right: the group is named and cleared. Wrong: one of four mistakes, with “one away” flagged when three belonged together.
The clock
Starts at the deal, stops on the fourth group or the fourth mistake, and counts up — there is no time limit, only a rank.
The board
More groups beats fewer, fewer seconds breaks the tie, earliest finish breaks that. A folded run scores as 99:59. The top hundred are shown; every run is stored.
The week
Weeks run Monday to Monday, UTC, with the same puzzle for the whole world. The friends tab ranks the people you have played with against it.
Questions about Common Threads
Is Common Threads free?
Yes. Every game on Table Party is free, with no accounts, no adverts and nothing to buy.
How many people do you need for Common Threads?
Between 1 and 2. Below 1 there are not enough of you for the game to work. Table Party for Teams seats up to 100 in one room.
Do we need to download anything?
No. One person opens the site and starts a room; everybody else joins by typing the room code on their own phone. Nothing to install, nothing to sign up for.
Can we play Common Threads over a video call?
Yes. Share the room code in the chat and play with the call running — everything private stays on each player’s own phone.
Play Common Threads online
Free, in the browser, with everyone on their own phone.