Fazan
The Romanian word chain: each word starts with the last two letters of the one before.
Fazan is the word game Romanian children grow up with, here against the computer and played in Romanian. Each word must start with the last two letters of the word before it, and whoever cannot find one in time is closed and takes a letter of FAZAN. Words ending in NT, EA or RM have no answer, so they close the round on the spot. Three levels, a dictionary of over a hundred thousand Romanian words, and a Daily Fazan, the same for everyone.
- Category
- Puzzle & Brain
- Modes
- Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
- Controls
- Mouse · Touch · Keyboard
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How to play
The computer says the first word. You answer with a Romanian word that starts with its last two letters: they are already in place, so type the rest and press Send. Words go in their dictionary form (nouns in the singular, verbs in the infinitive), have at least three letters and cannot repeat within a match. Diacritics do not matter: MASA counts as MASĂ. Run out of time or give up and you take a letter, and a word that nothing can follow closes the other side at once. The first word of a round may not close. Whoever spells FAZAN loses. You score a point for every letter of the words you play, 100 for each round you win and 300 for the match, plus 50 for every letter you did not take.
What is Fazan?
Fazan is the word game every child in Romania knows, played at break time, on trains and on long drives. It has a single rule: each word starts with the last two letters of the word said before it. After MASĂ comes SĂPUN, after SĂPUN comes UNGHI, and so on, until someone cannot find anything.
Whoever runs out of words is closed and takes a letter of FAZAN. The first time you are closed you have F, the second time FA, and whoever collects the whole word FAZAN loses. Here you play against the computer, in Romanian, on three levels and with a dictionary of over a hundred thousand Romanian words, and every day brings a Daily Fazan, the same for everyone.
How to play Fazan
The computer says the first word. The first two letters of your answer are already written, so you type only the rest and press Send.
- The words. They are Romanian dictionary words in their base form: nouns in the singular, verbs in the infinitive, adjectives in the masculine. They have at least three letters and cannot repeat within a match. Diacritics do not matter: MASA counts as MASĂ.
- The clock. You have 45 seconds on Easy, 30 on Medium and 20 on Hard. If the clock runs out or you press Give up, you take a letter.
- Closing. A word that nothing can follow, such as MOMENT (no Romanian word starts with NT), closes the other side on the spot. The first word of a round may not close.
- The next round. Whoever lost the round opens the next one, with any word that does not close.
- The score. You get a point for every letter of the words you play, 100 for each round you win and 300 for the match, plus 50 for every letter you did not take.
Tips and strategy
- Learn the endings that close. Romanian words ending in NT (moment, student), EA (cafea, avea), ND (gând, rând), RT (sport, concert), LM (film, calm), LT (mult, salt) or NS (sens, dans) have no answer.
- Watch the pair. When the computer leaves you a pair, first think whether you know a word starting with it that closes. A single close is worth more than ten long words.
- Do not waste time. If you see no close, play any valid word quickly. The clock costs you a letter just as surely as a close does.
- Open with care. When you open a round, pick a word whose ending has many answers, so the computer finds it hard to close you straight away.
- Long words pay. Every letter counts toward your score, so a good long word earns more than a short one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fazan free?
Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account.
Why is my word not accepted?
Either it is not in its dictionary form (the plural CASE or the gerund ALERGÂND do not count, CASĂ and ALERGA do), or it has already been played in the match, or it is a proper name or an abbreviation.
What does closing mean?
It means playing a word that no other word can follow. The game checks the dictionary, and if no unused word starts with the last two letters, the round ends there and then.
How well does the computer play?
On Easy it knows only everyday words and almost never closes on purpose. On Medium it closes now and then, and on Hard it closes often and leaves you pairs with few answers.
What is the Daily Fazan?
Every day everyone plays on Medium against the same computer, with the same first word, so scores compare directly on the leaderboard.
