The six Lost Vowels categories, and how to play each
Lost Vowels has six categories, and each one gets its own set of ten puzzles every day at midnight UTC. The rules are the same everywhere: the vowels are gone, every answer starts at three points, and a perfect run scores 30. But the categories feel very different to play, because the answers have different shapes. This guide goes through them one by one.
Each daily set is balanced in the same way: roughly three easier answers, four in the middle and three harder ones, chosen so that no two answers in a set share an answer or a pattern of consonants.
English Words
What to expect: everyday vocabulary, mostly nouns, with a short definition as the clue. Answers here are the shortest in the game, often five to seven letters, such as G_RD_N (garden), K_NG (king) and BR_TH_R (brother).
How to play it: short answers mean fewer consonants to go on, and many skeletons fit several words. The clue is unusually valuable here because it is a definition: if you are torn between two words, it settles the question. Try E in single blanks first; it is the most common vowel in English.
Cities & Towns
What to expect: cities and towns from all over the world, from capitals to smaller places. This is the broadest category by far. Answers can include spaces, hyphens and full stops, and many contain accented letters (which you never need to type).
How to play it: this is the only category without a clue. Its one hint tells you the country, which often turns an unfamiliar skeleton into an obvious answer. CCR becomes Accra the moment you know it is in Ghana. A few habits help:
- Spaces and punctuation are gifts. S__ P__L_ has two words, the first of three letters; the country hint (Brazil) makes it São Paulo.
- Think about the language. Spanish and Italian names often end in a vowel (A or O); German names often end in a consonant cluster such as -RG or -NZ, as in K_BL_NZ (Koblenz).
- Very short skeletons are usually vowel-heavy names. A pattern with just one consonant, such as P_ (Apia), is almost always a place, not an English word.
Animals
What to expect: mammals, birds, fish and more, including some two-word names. H_DG_H_G (hedgehog), N_RWH_L (narwhal) and B_LLF_NCH (bullfinch) give a flavour.
How to play it: look for familiar endings. Bird names often end in -FINCH, -WING or -BIRD, and many mammal names have recognisable parts like -HOG or -BEAR. Two-word answers usually have a descriptive first word (a colour, a place or a size) followed by a type of animal.
Food & Drink
What to expect: dishes, ingredients, snacks and drinks from many cuisines: V_C_D (avocado), CR__SS_NT (croissant), CH_P_T_ (chapati) and P_PC_RN (popcorn).
How to play it: many food words come from other languages, so the usual English instincts can mislead you. Italian, Spanish and Japanese words tend to end in vowels; French ones often have vowel pairs, as in croissant's OI. Doubled consonants in the middle, like SS or CC, are a strong sign of a borrowed word.
Football
What to expect: famous players and managers, along with terms from the game itself, such as P_N_LTY (penalty) and FFS_D (offside). Answers here are the longest in the game, and most player answers are two words, a first name and a surname: L__N_L M_SS_ is Lionel Messi.
How to play it: solve the shorter word first. A first name like L__N_L narrows the surname quickly, and vice versa. Think about nationality too: a surname ending in -INHO, -INI or -SEN tells you which part of the world to look in. The clue usually names the player's position, club or country.
Science & Nature
What to expect: chemical elements, landscape features and other science vocabulary: GL_C__R (glacier), H_L__M (helium), T_NGST_N (tungsten) and S_L_C_N (silicon).
How to play it: element names have a small set of common endings: -IUM, -ON and -INE above all. H_L__M fits the -IUM pattern exactly, and two blanks before a final M are a strong sign of it. If you know the periodic table even loosely, this category rewards it.
Choosing where to start
If you play all six categories, the order matters less than your mood. Many players start with English Words or Food & Drink to warm up, then take on Cities & Towns once they are reading skeletons quickly. Football and Science & Nature reward specialist knowledge, so if one of them is your subject, it is the best place to chase a perfect 30.
Whichever you choose, the same reading skills apply in every category. The guide Reading the blanks covers them step by step.