Questions
Frequently asked
The things people most often want to know about Flocklet. For the rules in full, see how to play.
Playing
When does the new flock land?
A new day’s five flocks land at midnight in your own time zone, so everyone plays the same puzzle on the same calendar day wherever they are. The number at the top of the page shows which day you’re on.
How long do I have?
Each flock gets a minute of daylight. The light fades along the bar under the wire, and when it’s gone the round ends and the link is shown. There are five flocks a day, so a full game takes five minutes at most.
Do wrong guesses cost anything?
No. Guess as often as you like within the minute; only the answer that fits counts. Naming a word that’s already on the wire costs nothing either: the game just tells you so.
What does “Did you mean” do?
If you type something very close to a real answer, a small note under the box offers the spelling it thinks you meant. Press Enter again (or tap the suggestion) to send it. A near miss never counts until you confirm it.
Why wasn’t one of the four words on the wire accepted?
The four words are the clue, so they don’t count as a fifth, and neither does the link itself (“dog” isn’t a breed of dog). If you name a kind of something that’s already on the wire, the game says so and you can try again.
What happens if the light runs out?
The round ends without a new bird, the link is shown, and that flock scores nothing. You go straight on to the next one, and on your share card the missed round appears as a dark square.
Can I play again?
Each day can be played once; when you come back after finishing, the day opens on your field journal. Past days, with their links and some of the answers that fitted, are in the archive once they have ended everywhere.
What happens if I refresh in the middle of a round?
Nothing is lost. Your answers so far are kept, and the clock carries on from where it was rather than starting again.
Scoring
What are the four tiers?
Common answers bring a house sparrow and score 20 points, Uncommon a blue jay for 60, Rarity a scarlet macaw for 120, and Vagrant a peacock for 200. The field guide has a page for each bird.
How is rarity decided?
For every answer we estimate how many of a hundred people, asked for one member of the category, would name it, and rank each list by that. It is an estimate made by hand and checked against the lists, not a count of what players type. How rarity is scored explains it in more detail.
What do “Top X%” and the V formation mean?
At the end of the day your field journal places you among the day’s players and shows your place in a V of migrating birds. For now that comparison is an estimate based on a modelled spread of scores, not on other players’ real results, and the game marks it as estimated.
Answers
Why wasn’t my answer accepted?
The lists are large but not perfect, and some fair answers are still missing. If you’re sure an answer belongs, email hello@flocklet.io and we’ll look at it.
Do spelling, capitals, accents or “the” matter?
Capitals, accents, plurals and a leading “the” are ignored, and close misspellings get a “Did you mean” to confirm. Common short forms and other names work too, such as USA for United States.
Where do the answer lists come from?
They start from Wikipedia and Wikidata and are then checked by hand: entries that don’t really belong are taken out, and the other names people actually type are added. The About page has more.
Your results
Where is my progress kept?
In your own browser, on your device. There’s no account, so clearing your browser’s site data or switching to another device or browser starts afresh.
Will sharing my result spoil the day for friends?
No. The share card shows only coloured squares for the tiers you reached and your estimated standing, never the links or your answers.
The site
Why birds?
Four things that belong together look a lot like four birds sitting on a wire, and birders already have exactly the right words for how rare a sighting is. The whole game is drawn like an old naturalist’s field guide to match.
Is Flocklet free?
Yes, it’s free to play in any web browser.
Do I need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for and no login.
Is there sound?
Yes, but it’s off until you turn it on with the sound button at the top of the game. The game remembers your choice in this browser.
Which browsers does it work in?
Any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. The birds are drawn in 3D, which needs WebGL; if your browser can’t show that, the game draws them flat instead.
What do you do with my data?
Very little. The privacy policy lists exactly what is stored and why.
How do I get in touch?
Email hello@flocklet.io about a wrong or missing answer, a bug, or an idea for a category.