From Slate Magazine · · 1m 20s
Pears 396: FRUITFUL was the one to beat
Slate's daily word game hits game 396, with a fresh puzzle at noon and the full archive now unlocked.
In brief
Slate's daily word game hits game 396, with a fresh puzzle at noon and the full archive now unlocked. Pears drops a new puzzle every day at noon, and Slate Plus members can now play the entire 300-plus game archive. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
Game 396 is live
A new Pears puzzle lands every day at noon. Today's is number 396, so the streak is well past a year of daily word hunting.
“New Pears every day at noon!”
Yesterday's longest word
Game 395's longest possible answer was FRUITFUL, eight letters. That's the bar if you want to know how close you got.
“The longest word in Game 395 was FRUITFUL.”
The archive just opened
Slate Plus members can now play more than 300 past Pears games whenever they want, instead of waiting for the next daily drop.
“It's an all-you-can-eat Pears buffet!”
Suggest your own words
Players can email word suggestions to pears@slate.com. Recent picks that made it into the dictionary: INARTFUL and FRUTTI.
“Got a word to suggest? Let us know at pears@slate.com”
More puzzles next door
Pears sits alongside the Slate Crossword, the Mini Crossword, and SoundBites, all refreshed for September 14, 2026.
Gifting needs a membership
Only Slate Plus members can gift stories, with 10 free articles a month to share. Free readers can still play the daily game.
“Only Slate Plus members can gift Slate stories.”
The bottom line
Pears drops a new puzzle every day at noon, and Slate Plus members can now play the entire 300-plus game archive.