Letter Hive: how to play

Letter Hive is a word hive game hosted by Mogi. Seven letters sit in a glowing honeycomb, and you make as many words from those letters as you can before the level clock runs out. Every word must use the gold centre letter, and one word in every hive uses all seven letters. Each level is a new hive with a points target, from a gentle warm-up in Neon City to the Glitch Zone, where one of the letters keeps changing.

How to play

• Tap the letters in the honeycomb, or type them on a keyboard, then press ENTER. DELETE or Backspace removes a letter, the Delete key clears the word, and ↻ or Space shuffles the outer letters to help you see new words.
• Every word needs at least 4 letters and must use the gold centre letter. Letters can be used more than once, and only the seven letters in the hive count. There's never an S, so plurals don't pad the list.
• A 4-letter word scores 1 point; longer words score 1 point per letter. A full-hive word uses all seven letters and scores its length plus a 7-point bonus.
• Reach the level's points target to clear it. The bar at the top shows your points, your rank (Warming up, Buzzing, Sharp, Wordsmith, Hive mind) and the time left.
• A word that's too short, misses the centre letter or isn't in the word list just shakes: it never costs a heart. If the clock runs out first, you lose one of your three hearts and get a fresh clock, and the words you found still count.
• Every letter types, so press Esc (or the SOUND button) to turn the sound off or on.

The five levels

1. Neon City: friendly letters and a small target
2. Rooftops: find the full-hive word that uses all seven letters for a 7-point bonus
3. Sewer: a bigger hive and a bigger target: long words count
4. Robot Factory: trickier letters such as K, V, W and Y; shuffle to spot new words
5. Glitch Zone: one outer letter swaps every 20 seconds, so the words you can make change too

Clear the Glitch Zone and the levels loop again with new hives, a clock 15% shorter and slightly higher targets. You have three hearts for the whole run, and the game is the same for everyone each day, so you can compare scores. Press Esc to turn the sound off or on.

Tips

• Look for common endings first: words ending in -ING, -ED and -ER often fit the hive.
• Shuffle when you get stuck: the same letters in a new order often show a word you missed.
• Hunt for the full-hive word early. It's worth at least 14 points, often enough for half the target.

Questions

What words count?

Common English words of four letters or more, including forms like -ED and -ING. Names, rude words and very rare words aren't in the list, so if a word shakes, try another one.

What happens when the clock runs out?

You lose one heart and the clock starts again. The words and points you already found stay, so you can keep going towards the target.

Is there a new hive every day?

Yes. Each day brings five new hives, one per level, the same for everyone, so you can compare scores with SHARE at the end.

Is it free?

Yes. Letter Hive is free in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download and no sign-up.