Level 385

Word Chain Level 385 Answers

A 8-word chain, each word linking to the next

The full answer is RAW → TALENT → SHOW → HORSE → …, with a definition for every word. This chain is longer than the game average of 6.8 words.

8Words in the chain
7Links to spot
8Definitions
6.8Game average
The chain

Level 385 — 8 Words

Read it left to right: every neighbouring pair makes a compound or a phrase. More chains are in levels 351–400.

RAW TALENT SHOW HORSE SHOE LACE DRESS REHEARSAL
The links

Why Each Word Follows the Last

Each pair below is the compound or phrase that joins two neighbours. Spotting one usually gives you the next.

Definitions

What Each Word Means

Useful when a link looks wrong: a word in a chain is often being used in its second or third sense rather than the obvious one.

Rawadjective

Of weather: unpleasantly damp or cold.

Talentnoun

The men or (especially) women of a place or area, judged by their attractiveness.

Showverb

To display, to have somebody see (something).

Horsenoun

A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work.

Shoenoun

A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of leather or synthetic material. Shoes generally do not extend above the ankle, as opposed to boots, which do.

Lacenoun

A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.

Dressnoun

An item of clothing (usually worn by a woman or young girl) which covers the upper part of the body as well as below the waist.

Rehearsalnoun

The practicing of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to allow technical adjustments with respect to staging to be done. Other Levels Jump to a few of the next or previous levels in Word Chain. Previous Levels Level 382 Level 383 Level 384 Next Levels Level 386 Level 387 Level 388 We want to prov

Solving a chain

How to Break Level 385 Open

01

Start from the ends, not the middle

The first and last words have only one neighbour each, so they carry the least ambiguity. Here that is RAW and REHEARSAL. The same trick works on every chain in levels 351-400.

02

A word can join in either direction

Chains use compounds both ways round — raw talent reads forwards, but many links only work if you try the reverse. If a word refuses to fit, flip the pair.

03

Check the second meaning

8 of the words here carry a definition above. Chains lean on secondary senses far more than the obvious one, which is why a link can look wrong until you read what the word actually means.

How to play

How to Solve a Word Chain Level

Ends first, then work inwards.

STEP 01

Read the chain as a sequence

It is not a word list. Each answer must join the one before it, so the order is part of the puzzle — see the full level list for how they grow.

STEP 02

Anchor at both ends

The outer words have a single neighbour each, so they are the least ambiguous place to start.

STEP 03

Try the pair both ways

Compounds work in one direction only. When a candidate stalls, reverse it before discarding it.

How we check

Verified Answers, Not Guesses

How we verify every chain for all 569 levels, with definitions for the words

Levels are taken from the published answers and cross-checked against a second source, which agreed on all 520 levels it covers. The game itself ends at level 569: the source answers HTTP 200 for any higher number and serves one repeated puzzle, so those are deliberately not published. The routine is in our methodology and the standards in our editorial policy.

Reviewed by Priya Raghunathan, Word Games Editor at Puzzle Solved. The full checking routine is in the methodology, and the standards every page is held to are in the editorial policy.

Last checked — Aug 24, 2026
Numbers

Word Chain by the numbers

569Levels covered
3,842Chain words
3,764Definitions
8Longest chain
Good to know

Word Chain Level 385 FAQ

What is the Word Chain level 385 answer?
The chain is RAW → TALENT → SHOW → HORSE → SHOE → LACE → DRESS → REHEARSAL — 8 words, each linking to the next.
How do the words in level 385 link together?
Every neighbouring pair makes a compound or a set phrase: RAW TALENT, TALENT SHOW, SHOW HORSE, and so on down the chain.
How long is a typical Word Chain level?
Chains run from 3 to 8 words, averaging 6.8. Level 385 has 8, so it is longer than average.
How many Word Chain levels are there?
569, numbered 1 to 569. All of them are covered here — see the Word Chain hub.
Discussion

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