What this page is
Thin Air scores answers from fixed lists and ratings (see rarity without a crowd). Because we rate every accepted answer in advance, we can look at the lists themselves and ask a simple question: how much of a typical prompt is the crowded, obvious end, and how much is rare? The numbers below come from the current lists in the daily and Unlimited modes. They describe our ratings, not what players type, and they change as we add and correct answers.
The numbers
The game currently draws on 157 everyday-friendly prompts with 23,369 accepted answers between them. Across all of them, 8% of accepted answers score under 15 (the Tarmac band, the answers everyone reaches for), while 78% score 55 or more (Jet stream and above) and only 38% reach the Vacuum band at 90 and over. A typical prompt has a pile of about 13 obvious answers under 15 before the interesting part begins.
| Kind of prompt | Prompts | Accepted answers (average) | Answers scoring under 15 | Answers scoring 55 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic lists | 51 | 240 | 5% | 83% |
| Everyday life | 58 | 96 | 14% | 68% |
| Pop culture | 28 | 170 | 9% | 81% |
| Twists | 20 | 37 | 16% | 68% |
The largest list is “Name a famous footballer” with 1,498 accepted answers; the smallest is “Name a South American country” with 12.
What it means for how you play
- The obvious pile is small. Only 8% of accepted answers score under 15, roughly 13 per prompt. Those are the answers your brain offers first, and they are the ones to skip.
- Past the pile, points come quickly. 78% of accepted answers score 55 or more. In other words, once you leave the first dozen or so obvious answers, most real answers land in Jet stream or better. The skill is the first step sideways, not an exotic find.
- The long tail is mostly obscure. Many of those high-scoring answers are things few players would ever type: minor species, regional dishes, lesser-known places. So the practical challenge is recall, whether you can remember a real one in time, more than rarity.
- Bigger lists reward breadth. Classic and pop-culture prompts have larger lists than everyday prompts, so for those, knowing a wide range helps; for everyday prompts, a clear mental picture of the scene does more.
Caveats
These figures describe our own lists and ratings, not player behaviour. A list can be incomplete, and ratings are estimates that we correct when players tell us something is off; a high score can also mean an answer is poorly known rather than interesting. If you think an answer is missing or mis-scored, tell us.