Three outcomes
When you send a word, guides describe three buckets:
| What you typed | What the guides report | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary effect | Runs, then fades. No reliable second-count is published. | Nuke, Dinosaur, Tsunami, Lava |
| Match-long effect | Stays until the match ends | Zombies, Meteor |
| Unrecognized text | Closest known effect, or an NPC with that name | Anything outside the Index |
The 7 Nov update said some words were too strong or too weak and were tuned. A duration note from before that update can be wrong even when the word still exists.
Warnings that already have a response
- Lava: the ground becomes dangerous and the hint tells you to climb. Duration is described as short.
- Tsunami: a large wave crosses the island. Go to height you can actually reach. A low room is not the same answer. If you are washed off, a breath countdown has been shown after a player hits the water. The Writer is not immune.
- Dinosaur: a dinosaur pursues players. Keep a route open instead of backing into a dead end.
- Nuke: a blast. Players look for shelter. Fallout-style bunker advice appears in footage discussions, but the official page only names Nuke.
- Tacos: named in the official description. A player guide says tacos appear on the map. No combat rule is published here.
- Meteor: reported as active for the rest of the match, so a high perch is still open to the sky.
- Zombies: reported as active for the rest of the match.
- Forcefield (the word): a protective bubble around the Writer for a limited time. This is not the Force Field item.
Shark, Apocalypse, UFO and 67 appear in official experience art. The game description does not define those four effects.
Index, not a guessed dictionary
The Index is the word diary. A recognized word unlocks its entry and can pay one-time Cash. Unrecognized text is not described as filling the diary. Public pages sort the Index into Disasters, Weather, Animals, Monsters, Nature, Objects, Places, Food, Weapons, and Memes and Powers. One catalog claimed 261 words and displayed 111. Collector asks for 150 diary entries, so the list is larger than the examples on this page.
Titan and Titanic are cited as different words: a stomping monster versus an ocean liner that docks and hits an iceberg.
Before you send a disaster
Check your own route, whether the destination is already unsafe, and whether you can leave it. Tsunami is a weak choice when you cannot climb. A match-long word changes every later turn, including yours.
Named entries live under Words. Meta inputs are a separate system: Meta Words.