How to play Word Grid

Sixteen letter cubes, a shake, and 3 minutes on the clock. Make as many words as you can from letters that touch each other. The longer the word, the more it is worth. It is the old family word game with a tray of letter cubes and an hourglass, ready on any screen.

Making a word

• Each next letter must touch the one before: across, up, down, or on a slant. A word can turn corners.
• A cube can be used only once in a word, but again in your next word.
• Drag your finger or mouse through the letters and let go. Or tap them one by one and tap Enter (or tap the last letter again).
• On a computer you can simply type the word and press Enter. We find the letters in the grid for you.
• Words need at least 3 letters (4 on the bigger 5 × 5 grid). The Qu cube counts as two letters.
• Plurals and other forms count as their own words: TOE and TOES are two words.

Scoring

• 3-4 letters: 1 point
• 5 letters: 2 points
• 6 letters: 3 points
• 7 letters: 5 points
• 8+ letters: 11 points

Our word list has about 74,000 everyday American English words. Names, abbreviations and rude words are not in it. When the clock runs out, you see every word you missed, and you can tap one to see where it was hiding.

Ways to play

• 4 × 4: the classic tray of 16 cubes.
• 5 × 5: 25 cubes, more long words, words of 4 letters or more.
• Clock: 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or no clock at all. Without a clock, tap Done when you have had enough.
• Hint lights up the first two letters of a word you have not found yet. Each hint costs 1 point.

Tips that find more words

1. Add an ending. Found TOE? Try TOES. Look for S, ED, ER and ING next to your words.
2. Short words first. Then grow them one letter at a time: ART, CART, CARTS.
3. Find the vowels. Most words bend around an A, E, I, O or U. A cube in the middle touches eight others.
4. Go for length when you can. One word of eight letters is worth eleven words of three.
5. Keep moving. When a corner runs dry, look at another one.

Today's puzzle

Every day there is one Daily Puzzle: the same 4 × 4 grid for every player, with 3 minutes on the clock. See how your score compares with everyone else who played today. Your first game of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Is there a word finder? For other word games, the word unscrambler finds every word from a set of letters, with the same family-friendly word list.

When does the clock start? With your first letter, not before. It pauses while the game is not on your screen.

Why was my word not accepted? It may be a name, an abbreviation, a very rare word, or the letters may not touch. The message tells you which.

Do I need an account? No. Your games, streak and settings stay in this browser. A free account keeps them on every device.