Play Shiritori Online in English

Shiritori (しりとり) is the classic Japanese word game where each word must begin with the sound the previous word ended on. Our free Endless Word Chain game is shiritori in English — chain words against the clock for as long as you can, no sign-up needed.

Play English shiritori

What is shiritori?

Shiritori (尻取り) has been a fixture of playgrounds, classrooms, road trips, and TV variety shows in Japan for generations. The name literally means "taking the rear": each player must say a word that begins with the final kana (syllable character) of the word the previous player said.

A round might run りんご (ringo — apple) → ゴリラ (gorira — gorilla) → ラッパ (rappa — trumpet) → パン (pan — bread)… and that last word would actually lose the game, for a reason covered in the rules below.

Because it needs no board, cards, or equipment — just two or more players and a shared vocabulary — shiritori is one of the most widely played word games in the world. It is also a favourite of language learners: chaining words is a surprisingly effective way to drill vocabulary.

Traditional shiritori rules

  • Chain by the last sound. Each word must begin with the final kana of the previous word.
  • Nouns only. Traditional play allows only nouns; verbs and adjectives are out.
  • No repeats. A word that has already been used ends the game for the player who repeats it.
  • The ん rule. Say a word ending in ん (n) and you lose immediately — no Japanese word begins with ん, so the chain cannot continue. That is why パン (pan) loses the round above.

House variants abound: some groups let long-vowel words chain from the vowel, some restrict play to a category like animals or food, and speed versions add a time limit per word.

Shiritori in English

Swap kana for letters and shiritori becomes the last-letter word game English speakers grew up with: each word must start with the last letter of the word before it — CAT → TIGER → RABBIT. Same chain, different alphabet. (More names it goes by on our last letter word game page.)

English has no equivalent of the ん rule — no letter is a guaranteed loss — but strategy still matters: end your word in Q, X, or Z and whoever is next will struggle, because so few words start with those letters.

Our Endless Word Chain game is exactly this: English shiritori against the clock. Every word is validated against a real dictionary (US, UK, Australian, or Canadian English), repeats are rejected, and each valid word resets your timer.

How to play shiritori here

  • Start with any word. Type any valid English word of three letters or more.
  • Chain from the last letter. Each new word must begin with the final letter of the word before it.
  • Beat the timer. Every valid word resets the clock. Pick your pace: Fast (10s), Classic (15s), or Relaxed (30s).

Start a chain

Prefer a once-a-day puzzle instead? Try the Daily Word Chain Puzzle.

Shiritori FAQs

Yes. English shiritori chains the last letter instead of the last kana: each word must start with the final letter of the word before it. Our free Endless Word Chain game is exactly that, with a dictionary checking every word.

Same core rule, different alphabet. Japanese shiritori chains the final kana (syllable); Word Chain chains the final letter. Word Chain adds a timer, scoring, and dictionary validation.

No Japanese word begins with the kana ん, so a word ending in ん makes the chain impossible to continue — the player who said it loses. English has no equivalent instant-loss letter, though Q, X, and Z come close.

Yes. Endless Word Chain is free to play with no sign-up. Create an account only if you want your scores on the leaderboard.
See all FAQs →