Word Scramble: how to play

A word scramble game hosted by Byte. Each word arrives with its letters jumbled: put them back in order before the level clock runs out. Any real word that uses all the letters counts. Five levels, from 4-letter warm-ups to 8-letter words with a spare tile, and everyone gets the same words each day.

How to play

• Tap the letter tiles, or type them, to spell the word in the answer row. Tap a placed letter (or press Backspace) to send it back; Delete clears the row.
• When every slot is full, press CHECK (or Enter). Any real English word made from all the letters counts, not only the one we picked.
• A wrong word costs one of your three hearts and the letters fly back. So does the level clock running out: the word is shown, the clock refills and a new word comes in.
• SHUFFLE (Space) mixes the letters left in the rack. HINT (?) puts the next right letter in place for 10 seconds of the clock, for up to half the letters of a word.
• Each word scores 10 points for every letter you placed yourself, times the level number (more on later laps), times your streak of words solved with no hint and no mistake (up to ×5). Clearing a level adds a bonus for the seconds left.
• Every letter types, so press Esc (or the SOUND button) to turn the sound off or on.

The five levels

1. Neon City: 4 words of 4 letters in 75 seconds
2. Rooftops: 4 words of 5 letters in 90 seconds
3. Sewer: 6 letters, with a clue that names the theme (animals, food, sport…)
4. Robot Factory: 3 words of 7 letters in 130 seconds
5. Glitch Zone: 7 and 8 letters plus one spare tile to leave out, and tiles that flicker

Clear the Glitch Zone and the levels loop again with new words and less time on every clock (20% less on lap 2, never under 60%). 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 pieces first: endings such as -ING, -ER and -ED, or starts such as RE- and UN-.
• Read the clue: knowing the word is FOOD or SPORT narrows it down fast.
• Stuck? SHUFFLE the rack: a new order often shows you the word.
• In the Glitch Zone the spare tile is never part of the word. If one letter won't fit anywhere, leave it out.

Questions

Does any word count?

Yes. Any real English word that uses every letter counts (in the Glitch Zone, every letter except the spare tile), so if the letters spell two words, either one solves it.

What does a hint cost?

10 seconds off the level clock, and the hinted letter scores nothing. You can use hints for up to half the letters of a word.

Is there a new set of words every day?

Yes. New words every day, the same for everyone, so you can compare scores with SHARE at the end.

Is it free?

Yes. Word Scramble is free in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download.