Word Grid

Word Grid is a daily word-finding puzzle: a small square of letters hides dozens of words, and your job is to trace them by linking touching tiles. Play Word Grid online free in your browser with no download or sign-up, on desktop, Chromebook or phone. There’s a fresh 4×4 grid every day, a tougher Big 5×5 grid, and unlimited practice puzzles whenever you want more.

How to play

• Start on any letter and drag to a neighbouring tile: up, down, left, right or diagonally. Keep going to spell a word, then let go to submit it.
• Words must be at least 4 letters long, and each tile can only be used once in the same word. You can reuse a tile in a different word.
• Prefer tapping? Tap tiles one at a time and press Enter. Tap the last tile again to take it back. On a keyboard you can simply type the word and press Enter; the game highlights a matching path on the grid.
• The word panel groups the list by length, so you always know how many 4-letter, 5-letter and longer words are still hiding. The small number on each tile shows how many unfound words start there.
• Find every word on the list to solve the puzzle. The progress bar fills as you go.

Target words and bonus words

Every grid has a list of target words made of common, everyday English words, usually 25 to 40 on the 4×4 and 60 or more on the Big 5×5. Those are the words you need to solve the puzzle.

The game also accepts thousands of other valid dictionary words. If you find a real word that isn’t on the target list, such as an unusual or old-fashioned word, it’s saved as a bonus word. Bonus words don’t count toward solving, but they’re tallied in their own list so you can show off your vocabulary. Proper nouns, abbreviations and offensive words are not accepted.

Hints

When you’re stuck, press Hint to reveal the first two letters of a word you haven’t found yet, starting with the shortest. Each puzzle has a limited supply: 3 hints on the 4×4 grids and 6 on the 5×5 grids. Each new hint starts another word; only once every remaining word has been hinted does a hint add one more letter to a word you’ve already been given. Solving without hints is the real bragging right.

Daily vs practice

The Daily and Big 5×5 puzzles are built from the date, so everyone playing on the same day gets the same grid. Your progress is saved in your browser, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off. Solve the daily 4×4 on consecutive days to grow your streak; your current and best streaks show after each solve.

Practice mode generates a new random grid whenever you like. Switch between 4×4 and 5×5 with the size button, and press New puzzle for another one. Practice puzzles never affect your streak.

Tips for finding more words

• Hunt for word endings. Look for -S, -ED, -ER, -ING and -TION clusters. Once you find a word, try adding an S or swapping the ending.
• Spot the long word. Most grids are built around one long word that snakes through the tiles. The longest groups in the word panel tell you how long it is. Finding it often unlocks several shorter words inside it.
• Work from rare letters. Tiles like B, P, M or K have fewer neighbours that make sense. Start from them and the options narrow quickly.
• Use the tile counts. A tile with no number has no target words left starting there, so focus on the busy tiles.
• Read diagonals. Diagonal moves are easy to miss, especially across the centre of the grid.

FAQ

Is Word Grid free?

Yes. Word Grid is completely free with no account and no install. The daily puzzles and unlimited practice grids are all included.

Is this the same as Squaredle?

Word Grid is an original game in the same genre of letter-grid word puzzles. The grids, word lists and design are our own, built fresh for each day.

Why wasn’t my word accepted?

It may be shorter than 4 letters, use tiles that don’t touch, reuse a tile, or not be in the dictionary. Proper nouns, abbreviations and offensive words are excluded. A valid word that isn’t on the list is saved as a bonus word.

Does it work on mobile?

Yes. Drag your finger across the tiles to trace words, or tap them one by one and tap Enter. The layout adapts to phones, tablets and desktops.

Love word puzzles? Try Word Search, race the clock in Boggle or Word Hunt, or make words from seven letters in Spelling Bee.