How to play

Rarefied gives you seven prompts a day, like Name a fruit. Anyone can say apple. The rarer your answer, the higher you climb.

The climb

• Each prompt gives you 20 seconds of air. Type one answer that fits.
• If we don't recognize it, nothing's lost. Try another before your air runs out.
• Your first accepted answer locks in and you climb. Run out of air and you stay put.
• Seven prompts, one summit at 28,000 feet. Everyone gets the same climb on the same day.

How high each answer takes you

• Green circle, +1,000 feet. What most people say first.
• Blue square, +2,000 feet. A bit off the main trail.
• Black diamond, +3,000 feet. Few people think of it.
• Double black diamond, +4,000 feet. Almost nobody says it.

Tips

• Your first idea is probably everyone's first idea. Skip it.
• Go specific. A real, well-known answer from the far end of the category beats an obscure guess you can't spell.
• Don't wait for the perfect answer. A blue square beats running out of air.

Questions

Is Rarefied free?

Yes. There's nothing to buy and no account to make.

When does a new climb open?

Every day at midnight, your local time. Everyone gets the same seven prompts on the same date.

Who decides how rare an answer is?

Each prompt's answers are sorted into four tiers, the same marks ski areas use for difficulty. Common answers are green circles, rare ones are black diamonds. As people play, we see what everyone actually answers and adjust the tiers.

My answer was right but didn't count. Why?

Every answer we don't recognize is logged, and we add the real ones. You can keep trying until you run out of air, and nothing is lost for a miss.

Do spelling mistakes count?

Small typos in longer answers are forgiven. Capital letters, accents, "the" and plurals don't matter.

What's Free Climb?

An endless mode with one shared tank of oxygen. Every answer adds air back, rare ones the most. Climb until you run out.

Where are my stats saved?

On your device, in your browser. Clearing this site's data resets them.

Can I put it on my home screen?

Yes. On iPhone, tap Share in Safari, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, use the browser menu.