Association chain

How to play Synapse Relay on DailyQuest.ai

Synapse Relay is an association-chain drill on DailyQuest.ai, a free brain-training site. You begin with a START word and try to reach a TARGET by choosing words connected to your current word in the game's word network.

A standard session has three rounds, each starting with 45 seconds. Shorter chains and more time remaining earn better scores, while incorrect picks cost time and reduce your completion score. Treat it as practice in following associations and planning a route, not as a validated test.

Play now

What this drill practises

Practise comparing word associations, keeping a target in mind and choosing a route through connected ideas under time pressure. The challenge is to follow the game's stored connections, rather than any association you could reasonably make yourself.

How to play

Read the START and TARGET words. Your current word is the highlighted word at the end of the chain.
Click or tap a candidate connected to your current word. The game builds a choice set of up to four words; more than one can be a valid connection.
After an accepted pick, that word becomes your current word and adds one hop to the chain. A valid connection does not necessarily take you closer to the target.
Watch the approximate steps-to-target indicator. It is based on the game's word network, not a limit on how many hops you may take.
If a pick is not connected, you stay on the same word. The timer loses three seconds, but that deduction cannot take it below one second.
Reach the target before time expires to score for the round. In a standard session, a timeout scores zero for that round and play continues until all three rounds have been played.
In endless mode, completing a chain starts another round with a fresh 45-second timer. A timeout ends the session.

Rules, timing and scoring

For a completed chain, the round score is the greater of 60 and the rounded value of: 700 − (55 × hops) − (7 × used time) − (35 × incorrect picks in that round).
Hops count accepted moves, including the final move onto the target. The starting word does not count as a hop, and rejected picks do not add hops.
Used time means 45 minus the timer value when you reach the target. It therefore includes timer deductions from incorrect picks, not just elapsed clock time.
Each incorrect pick deducts three seconds, subject to the one-second floor, and also adds a separate 35-point deduction to the completion calculation.
A completed chain earns at least 60 points. A timed-out round earns zero, even if you have already made several valid hops.
Your session score is the sum of the round scores. There is no separate streak multiplier or fixed fast-finish bonus in this drill.

Worked examples

1. A clean three-hop finish

You reach the target in three accepted hops with 35 seconds remaining and no incorrect picks. What is your round score?

Answer: 465 points.

Step by step: First calculate used time: 45 − 35 = 10 seconds. Three hops cost 3 × 55 = 165 points, and used time costs 10 × 7 = 70. There is no incorrect-pick deduction. The result is 700 − 165 − 70 = 465, which is above the 60-point minimum.

2. A four-hop finish with one incorrect pick

You complete a chain in four accepted hops with 30 seconds remaining. You made one incorrect pick during the round. What do you earn?

Answer: 340 points.

Step by step: Used time is 45 − 30 = 15 seconds. This already includes the incorrect pick's timer deduction, so do not subtract those seconds again. The hop deduction is 4 × 55 = 220, the time deduction is 15 × 7 = 105, and the separate incorrect-pick deduction is 35. Your score is 700 − 220 − 105 − 35 = 340.

3. Finishing just before the timer runs out

You reach the target in five accepted hops with two seconds remaining after three incorrect picks. What is the score?

Answer: 60 points.

Step by step: Used time is 45 − 2 = 43 seconds. Deduct 5 × 55 = 275 for hops, 43 × 7 = 301 for time, and 3 × 35 = 105 for incorrect picks. The calculation gives 700 − 275 − 301 − 105 = 19. Because you completed the chain, the minimum score applies and raises this to 60.

Common mistakes

Choosing a word because it resembles the target: A pick must connect to your current word. A promising relationship with the target alone is not enough.
Assuming only one option is valid: Several displayed candidates can be connected. Compare their usefulness for reaching the target, rather than merely finding any plausible link.
Treating every accepted hop as progress: An accepted move can take a longer route. Check the steps-to-target indicator after moving.
Assuming a plausible association must be accepted: The game checks its stored word network. An association that makes sense to you may still be rejected.
Forgetting the second cost of an incorrect pick: An incorrect pick affects both the timer and the completion calculation through a separate 35-point deduction.

Tips

Read the current word before scanning the candidates; it changes after every accepted hop.
Among connections you recognise, favour the one that seems to bridge towards the target rather than away from it.
Use the steps indicator as feedback on your route, not as a guarantee that every valid choice reduces the distance.
Avoid random clicking: rejected picks leave you in place while costing time and points.
Previously visited neighbours are normally excluded from the initial connected choices. If no unvisited neighbours remain, the game allows earlier neighbours back into the choices so you can step back.

Practice by level

Beginners

Start by concentrating on accepted connections rather than speed. Keep checking the highlighted current word, and notice which links the game accepts. Once you are moving reliably, use the target and distance indicator to make your routes more direct.

Advanced

Aim to reduce both hops and used time without increasing errors. Before choosing, compare the available connections for their likely route towards the target. A quick detour still adds a 55-point hop deduction, while a rejected guess affects both time and accuracy deductions.

Questions about this drill

How long is a session?: Standard play has three rounds, each with a 45-second starting timer. Completing a chain ends that round early. Endless mode keeps offering fresh rounds until a timeout.
Does an incorrect pick end the round?: No. It leaves your current word unchanged, records an incorrect pick and deducts three seconds without taking the timer below one second. It also adds a 35-point deduction if you complete that chain.
What does the steps-to-target number mean?: It comes from distances calculated through the word network from the target. The interface presents it as an approximate guide. It is not a hop allowance, and accepted moves need not reduce it.
Can I go back to an earlier word?: Earlier words are normally avoided when choosing connected options. If there are no unvisited connected neighbours, the game uses connected neighbours again, allowing backtracking. Every accepted return still counts as a hop.

What your score does and doesn’t mean

Synapse Relay is practice, not a validated measure of intelligence or a basis for medical or hiring decisions. Its accepted associations depend on the game's language-specific word network.