How scoring works in ThoughtMatch

ThoughtMatch has only five ways to earn points. This guide explains each one, walks through two full rounds with a running score sheet, and shows how to earn more from every seat.

By Ansh R. Suryavanshi, creator of ThoughtMatch

The five ways to score

Every point in ThoughtMatch comes from one of these events. Nothing ever takes points away: a failed contact, a broken clue or a wrong guess costs you chances, not score.

Scores carry over from round to round. New to the terms? The rules page explains the Dener, clues, Contact! and breaking.

The details that matter

• Breaks are counted per clue. If two players have clued the same word, one guess from the Dener breaks both and earns +2 twice.
• The clue giver's +3 doesn't depend on numbers. One contacter or three, the clue giver gets 3. Each contacter earns their own +2, so three contacters make a 9-point contact, plus a letter.
• The +5 goes to whoever finished it. When a team guess is right, the player who suggested it gets the +5. When a held contact ends the round, by landing on the secret word or by revealing its last letter, the +5 goes to the clue giver whose word it was. The contacters still get their +2.
• The +3 win bonus is for the team. When the players win, everyone who played against the Dener that round gets +3. The Dener keeps any break points but gets no win bonus.
• The Dener's +10 is all or nothing. Running out of guesses, the round timer expiring and most players voting to give up all pay exactly the same.

Score sheet: a round the players win

Four friends play: Ana, Bo, Cy and Dee. Everyone starts on 0. The host has chosen to take turns as Dener, and Ana goes first.

Dee joined only one held contact, yet finished top, because the finishing +5 and the win bonus came together. Bo gave the two clues that earned both letters and ended on 9.

The round could have ended another way. Suppose that instead of guessing, Cy had posted a clue for CANDLE and Bo and Dee had made it hold. Cy would get +3 for the contact, +5 for finishing and +3 for the win, 11 in all, while Bo and Dee would get 2 + 3 = 5 each. In practice the Dener knows the secret word and can break a clue on it with one try, which is why a team guess is usually the safer finish.

Score sheet: a round the Dener wins

It's Bo's turn as Dener. The scores carry over: Ana 2, Bo 9, Cy 7, Dee 10.

Bo earned 16 points in one round: 6 from breaks and 10 from the win. The team spent all three guesses with only HA showing, when many seven-letter words still fitted. More clues would have paid them points and letters, and made the guesses far safer.

How the Dener rotation evens things out

After two rounds, Bo leads on 25 and Ana trails on 4. That isn't a fair comparison yet. Bo and Ana have had their turns as Dener; Cy and Dee each still have a shot at the +10 that lifted Bo.

The two seats score differently. A Dener scores in a lump: +2 per break and +10 for holding the word. A player scores in steadier steps: +3 or +2 per held contact, plus +3 when the team wins. So the fairest moment to read the scores is after everyone has defended a word.

• Everyone is Dener once gives each player exactly one turn, which is the most even setting for a points race.
• A fixed number of rounds (3, 5 or 8) won't always split evenly. With four players taking turns over five rounds, the first Dener gets a second turn.
• Whoever cracked it hands the next turn to the player who finished the last round, and a Dener who wins keeps the seat, so one strong Dener can stack up +10s. For a fair race, pair it with everyone is Dener once.

The guide to playing the Dener covers how to choose a word that's hard to crack, which is how a Dener gives themselves a real shot at the +10.

Scoring more as a clue giver

Clue givers earn the most per contact, so the more of your clues hold, the better.

• Keep your three slots busy. You can have up to three open clues, and each one is a chance at +3. An empty slot earns nothing.
• Aim for two contacters you trust. More contacters means more points for the team, but one mismatch sinks the contact for everyone, your +3 included. A clue aimed squarely at two friends who think like you is the sweet spot.
• Watch for the last tile. When only one letter of the secret word is still hidden, any held contact reveals it and finishes the round. Your clue doesn't have to be on the secret word itself: any word that fits the prefix will do, and as clue giver you collect +3, +5 and +3.

Scoring more as a contacter

• Join when you're sure. A correct join adds +2 for you and costs nobody anything. A wrong one wipes out the clue giver's +3 and every other contacter's +2.
• Suggest the guess you worked out. The +5 goes to whoever suggests the right word, so if the answer came from your thinking, put it forward yourself rather than waiting for someone else to.
• Spend guesses before giving up. Giving up hands the Dener +10, exactly like running out of guesses. If the team is about to vote to give up, or the round timer is about to expire, any guesses left are free shots.

For more on when a guess is worth the risk, see the guide on when to guess the secret word.

Scoring more as the Dener

• Type the words several people might pick. Breaks are paid per clue, so the obvious word for a prefix can break two clues at once.
• Break running contacts first. A clue with a contact under way will pay the players 5 or more and cost you a letter in seconds. A quiet clue can wait.
• Remember the big prize. The +10 for the round is worth five breaks. Every letter you keep hidden makes the players' guesses riskier, and three wrong guesses pay you just as well as a round timer running out.