Qualities

Synonyms for stain

The synonym for stain recorded in this bank is discoloration, in the sense "a soiled or discolored appearance". Below it sits the sentence that fixes that meaning, the same sentence with the swap made, and the words that only look close.

1 synonym · Tier 3, Ridgeline · 1 sense · noun · a wrong tile in 6 puzzles

The synonym for stain

discolorationnoun, in the sense "a soiled or discolored appearance"

That is the whole set. The bank holds one audited synonym per sense of a word, and stain carries one sense so far.

The sensenounTier 3, RidgelineQualities

a soiled or discolored appearance

The wine left a dark stain.

One sentence, one sense. Without it the word could be read three other ways.

The true synonym

discoloration

Same sentence, swapped: The wine left a dark discoloration.

Close but different

These three are the other tiles for this sense. Each is a real word, and none of them can stand where stain stands in the sentence above.

grease
perspective
phase

Where stain turns up in the game

stain is the word under test in one puzzle, at Tier 3, Ridgeline. It also sits on the board as one of the three wrong tiles in six other puzzles, where the answer is a different word entirely.

4 of the 6 puzzles where stain is the trap

brandnoun, Tier 1, Foothills. The answer there is make, in the sense "a recognizable kind", and stain is one of the three tiles that lose.
bulgenoun, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is swell, in the sense "a rounded part that swells outward from a surface", and stain is on the board beside it.
flawnoun, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is fault, in the sense "an imperfection in an object or machine", so stain is there to be ruled out.
soilnoun, Tier 2, Treeline. The answer there is territory, in the sense "the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state", and stain is one of the three tiles that lose.

Play stain

The bank on this page is the bank the game plays from, so stain reaches you as a board rather than a definition: the sentence first, four tiles, and the meaning after you choose.

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Compiled by Fable, Editor, Synonym Stack

This page is built from Open English WordNet 2025, with the sense, the sentence, the tier and the near misses read by a human in the July 2026 audit. No sentence here is generated at deploy time.

Read nextThe whole library →

The ring widens as it goes, from qualities at Ridgeline outward to the whole bank.

explicitadjectiveexpressedprecisely and clearly expressed or readily observableRidgeline fabricnounframeworkthe underlying structureRidgeline facilitynouninstallationa building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industryRidgeline2 sensesHas a reason line fairnessnounequityconformity with rules or standardsRidgelineHas a reason line gradientnounslopethe property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the horizontalRidgelineHas a reason line grainnountexturethe physical composition of something (especially with respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a substance)Treeline grandadjectiveheroicof behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scopeTreelineHas a reason line receptiveadjectiveopenready or willing to receive favorablyRidgelineHas a reason line

One vocabulary, two jobs

stain is an answer in 1 puzzle and a wrong tile in 6. That is how the bank is built, and it is why guessing by vibe stops working around tier three.

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