Word Hunt

Word Hunt is the click-and-drag word-tracing format made famous by the iMessage game GamePigeon (2016) and similar mobile titles. A 4×4 letter grid, an 80-second clock, and a single mechanic: trace through adjacent letters to form words. Lift to submit. Longer words score far more.

How to play

• 4×4 grid of random letters (weighted towards common letters).
• Click-and-hold on the starting letter, then drag through adjacent letters.
• Adjacent = horizontal, vertical, OR diagonal.
• Each letter once per word. Words need at least 3 letters.
• Release to submit. Releasing on fewer than 3 letters just clears the path.
• Words are checked against a built-in dictionary of about 84,000 words: every 3- to 8-letter word in it counts, plus common longer words.
• 80-second timer.
• Scoring: 3 letters = 100, 4 = 400, 5 = 800, 6 = 1400, 7 = 1800, 8 = 2200, plus 400 for each letter beyond 8. Your best score is saved in your browser.

Beginner strategy

• Length beats volume. 80 seconds. Ten 3-letter words (1,000 points) are worth less than two 5-letter words (1,600).
• Plurals are worth a try. Found TEAR? Try TEARS if an S is adjacent.
• -ED and -ING. Visible in the grid? Scan for verbs.
• Eyes scan in S-curves. Snake-paths let you trace long words.
• Don’t stall on non-words. A rejected word costs no points, only the seconds you spent tracing it.

Intermediate strategy

• Long words = big multipliers. 7-letter word = 18 of 3-letter words.
• Look for common stems. -TION, -MENT, -EST, -ER.
• Trace 2 letters ahead. Plan your path before you start dragging.
• Visual chunking. Mentally group letters into recognizable words.
• Use the whole grid. Don’t fixate on one section.

Word Hunt vs Boggle

Word Hunt is essentially Boggle with mobile-first UX: shorter timer (80 seconds vs Boggle’s 3 minutes), drag-to-trace input instead of writing words down, and steeper length-based scoring (incentivizing long words). Same fundamental skill — fast pattern recognition on a small letter grid.

Word Hunt history

• 1972 — Boggle: Allan Turoff’s letter-cube game, published by Parker Brothers, sets the template of tracing words through a 4×4 letter grid against the clock.
• 2012 — Wordament: Microsoft’s online take on the same idea, with all players racing on the same grid.
• 2016 — GamePigeon launches for iMessage; its Word Hunt mode, added to the collection, brings drag-to-trace grid play to group chats.

Common mistakes

• Hunting short words only. Long words pay disproportionately.
• Time-blowing on wrong words. Words the game doesn’t accept still eat clock.
• Not using diagonals. All 8 directions valid.
• Releasing prematurely. Make sure you have a word before releasing.

FAQ

• Q: How long is a game? A: 80 seconds.
• Q: Can I use a letter twice? A: No — each letter used at most once per word.
• Q: Scoring scale? A: Steep — an 8-letter word is worth 22x a 3-letter word, and each extra letter adds 400 more.
• Q: Adjacent means what? A: Horizontal, vertical, or diagonal — 8 directions.

For other word games, try Boggle, Spelling Bee, Word Connect, or Word Search.