How to play Wordgrid
Here’s how to play Wordgrid: find as many words as you can in a grid of sixteen letters before three minutes run out. Link touching letters, in any direction including diagonals, to spell words of three letters or more. It’s free to play online in your browser, on a phone or a computer, and it uses British spellings.
Longer words score more, and you’re racing Pete’s score as well as your own. Below you’ll find the rules, how scoring works, some tips and answers to common questions.
The basics
Find as many words as you can in the grid of sixteen letters before the three minutes run out. Link touching letters to spell each word.
Making a word
- Words must be three letters or more.
- Each letter must touch the one before it: next to it, above or below it, or diagonally.
- You can’t use the same square twice in one word. You can use the same word only once in a game.
- The Qu tile is one square that counts as two letters, as in QUEEN or EQUAL.
- Words come from a British dictionary, so colour, grey and organise are fine and color and gray are not. Names, abbreviations and swear words don’t count.
Entering words
- Phone or tablet: drag your finger across the letters, then lift it to hand the word in. Drag back over the last letter to undo it.
- Keyboard: type the word and press Enter. Backspace deletes a letter and Esc clears the word.
- A wrong word shakes and doesn’t cost you anything.
Scoring
- 3 or 4 letters: 1 point. 5 letters: 2. 6 letters: 3. 7 letters: 5. 8 letters or more: 11.
- Pete’s score for the board is shown at the top. Beat it to beat Pete.
- When time’s up you see every word you missed, including the longest one on the board.
The daily board
- Once a day there’s a board that’s the same for everybody. It changes at midnight GMT and you get one ranked go at it, so make it count. Your score goes on today’s leaderboard, and you can watch your place climb live as you find words. You can still play as many practice grids as you like.
Pausing
- Pausing covers the letters so you can’t study the board with the clock stopped. The game also pauses by itself if you switch to another tab or app.
The leaderboard
- When a round ends your score is saved to your profile and ranked against everyone else. Guests can play; sign up free to put your score on the board.
Beginner tips
- Start with the short words. Three and four letter words are worth 1 point each but they come quickly, and finding them often reveals the longer words around them.
- Look for endings. Plurals and endings like -ED, -ING, -ER and -EST turn one word into several, and a long word is worth far more than a short one.
- Trace as you read. Sweep your finger or your eyes round the board looking for common letter pairs such as TH, ER, IN and QU, and don’t forget the corners and the diagonals.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Wordgrid on a phone?
Drag your finger across the touching letters to spell a word, then lift your finger to submit it. If you go wrong, drag back over the last letter to undo it. On a computer you can also just type the word and press Enter.
How does scoring work in Wordgrid?
Words of 3 or 4 letters score 1 point, 5 letters score 2, 6 letters score 3, 7 letters score 5 and words of 8 letters or more score 11. Each word only counts once.
Which spellings does Wordgrid use?
British ones. It uses a UK dictionary, so colour, grey and organise are in, and the American spellings color and gray are not. Proper names, abbreviations and strong swear words are left out.
What does Qu mean on a tile?
One tile holds both Q and U together, as in QUEEN or EQUAL, and it counts as two letters when you score the word.
What is the daily board?
The daily board is the same grid for everybody, and it changes at midnight GMT. You get one ranked go at it each day, and your score goes on today’s leaderboard. You can watch your place climb live as you find words. Practice grids are unlimited.
Is it free to play Wordgrid?
Yes. Wordgrid is free to play in your browser, with nothing to download.
Ready to play Wordgrid?
It’s free and works in your browser — no download. Start against Trevor, the friendliest opponent, and sign up free to climb the ladder of ten computer players all the way to Pete.
Play Wordgrid now