How to Play Word Hunt
Word Hunt is a timed word-finding game: trace paths across a grid of letters to spell as many words as you can before the clock runs out. This guide covers the rules, the controls, and the scoring that rewards long words.
The board
A Word Hunt board is a grid of lettered tiles. Boards come in four shapes — the classic 4×4 square, a larger 5×5, a hollow donut, and an X-shaped cross — and the shape decides which tiles are next to each other. Every tile holds one letter, and the whole board stays hidden behind a Start button until you begin, so you can't study the letters early.
The rules that matter
You spell a word by tracing a path from tile to neighboring tile. A tile's neighbors are the eight tiles that touch it — up, down, left, right, and all four diagonals. Within a single word you may never reuse a tile. Words must be at least three letters long and must be real dictionary words. Finding the same word twice only counts once. There is a hard time limit of 80 seconds per round, and the timer keeps running even if you switch away from the tab, so stay on the board until the buzzer.
Tracing a word
There is one way to enter a word, and it works on touchscreens and with a mouse:
- Press and drag. Put your finger or pointer on the first tile and drag across connected tiles, moving to any of the eight neighbors and never reusing a tile. A glowing line follows your path.
- Release to submit. Lift your finger to score the word. A valid new word lights up green and pops its points; a word you already found tints yellow; anything invalid simply clears with no penalty.
Scoring
Points depend only on word length — never on which letters you use — so the fastest way to a high score is to hunt long words. A single six-letter word beats more than a dozen three-letter words.
| Word length | Points |
|---|---|
| 3 letters | 100 |
| 4 letters | 400 |
| 5 letters | 800 |
| 6 letters | 1,400 |
| 7 letters | 1,800 |
| 8 letters | 2,200 |
| 9+ letters | 2,600 + 400 per extra letter |
Ending a round and sharing
When the timer hits zero, input locks and a summary appears: your final score, every word you found sorted by points, your single best word, and a toggle that reveals all the words you missed. A share button copies a compact emoji summary of your result to the clipboard, so you can post it without spoiling the board. Completing a daily board keeps your solving streak alive for that day.
Tips to score higher
These are the quick pointers. For a deeper walkthrough — extending roots, mastering affixes, sweeping systematically, and pacing the clock — read the full Word Hunt strategy guide.
Chase length, not count
A single six-letter word (1,400 points) beats fourteen three-letter words. When the clock is ticking, hunt for the longest word you can extend rather than sweeping up every tiny one.
Learn the common endings
Suffixes like -ING, -ED, -ER, -EST, and -S turn a short word into a long one for free. If you spell CARE, glance around for a D or an R to reach CARED or CARER.
Sweep in a snake pattern
Drag steadily across the board in rows or loops instead of jumping around. A calm, systematic sweep finds more words per second than frantic tapping and avoids missing whole regions.
Use diagonals
Tiles connect in all eight directions, so a word can zig-zag diagonally. Beginners forget diagonals and miss the longest paths; they are where the biggest words usually hide.
Start from rare letters
Q, Z, J, X, and K anchor few words, so build around them early while you can still see the whole board. Once you have their words, ignore them and mine the vowels.
Plurals and tenses double up
Every noun you find is often two words: the singular and its plural. Trace CAT, then extend to CATS. The extra S is worth a full length tier of points.
Ready to play? Start with today's 4×4, warm up in the puzzle library, or revisit the archive. Want to score higher? See the strategy guide.