Revealed after completion
The leaderboard is deliberately hidden while you're solving. You won't see rankings, times, or comparisons mid-puzzle. Once you complete the daily puzzle, the leaderboard appears on the completion screen alongside your own solve time.
This is an intentional design choice. Seeing a fast time mid-solve adds stress; seeing it after adds context and a small competitive thrill without affecting the experience of solving itself.
Finish first, then look. The leaderboard will always be there after you complete the puzzle. There's no advantage to rushing — solve at your own pace.
What's tracked
🕯 Daily Standard — Fastest Solve
Weekday single acrostic · Resets daily
✦ Daily Double — Fastest Solve
Weekend double acrostic · Resets daily
📖 All-Time — Total Puzzles Completed
Cumulative · Does not reset
⚡ All-Time — Fastest Average Solve
Rolling average across daily completions · Does not reset
Weekday and weekend daily boards are tracked separately — it wouldn't be fair to compare a single acrostic time against a double acrostic time.
Personal best
Your personal best is shown as prominently as your global ranking on the completion screen. If you're not near the top of the global board, your personal best is the more meaningful number to focus on — it shows your improvement over time, independent of how fast other people are.
Friends leaderboard
Game Center automatically surfaces a friends leaderboard using your existing Game Center connections. You'll see how you rank among people you already know, which adds a social layer without requiring any setup or separate social graph. See Game Center & Achievements for more.
Frequently asked questions
Does using hints affect my leaderboard time?
No. Your solve time is the time from opening the puzzle to completing it, regardless of whether you used hints. Using hints won't disqualify your result.
What if I start the puzzle, close the app, and come back?
The clock keeps running while the puzzle is open. If you close the app and reopen it, time continues from where you left off. If you want a competitive time, solve in one sitting.
Can I see past days' leaderboards?
The daily leaderboard shows the current day's results. Previous days' results are not accessible after the puzzle resets — the all-time boards are the persistent competitive record.
I don't see a leaderboard after completing the puzzle. Why?
The leaderboard requires an active Game Center connection. Make sure you're signed into Game Center in Settings → Game Center on your iPhone. If you're signed in and the board still isn't appearing, try force-closing and reopening Lamplit.