About our word games
Our free word games online give you a different kind of wordplay for every spare moment: a daily Crossword with a quick mini grid, themed Word Search puzzles, a daily five-letter Word Guess, the seven-letter Spelling Bee hive, plus Anagrams, Word Ladder, Hangman and Word Scramble.
Five of these eight games reset with a new puzzle every day, which makes them easy to fold into a morning routine. Everyone gets the same daily puzzle, so you can compare notes with friends or check your time and score on the leaderboards.
Every game works with a physical keyboard or an on-screen one, so they are just as comfortable on a phone as on a laptop. No app, no download and no sign-up: open a page and start typing.
Where to start
Word GuessOne word a day in six tries. The quickest daily habit on the site.
CrosswordsA daily mini for a two-minute solve, plus bigger themed grids when you have longer.
Spelling BeeBest for vocabulary lovers: how many words can you squeeze from seven letters?
Word SearchThe most relaxing pick, with dozens of themes and three difficulty levels.
Word LadderA small logic puzzle in word form. Change one letter at a time to reach the target.
HangmanGreat for kids and families, with themed categories to choose from.Advertisement
Which word game suits you?
Word games test different skills, so the best one depends on what you enjoy.
- You like clues and general knowledge: the Crossword rewards both vocabulary and lateral thinking.
- You like deduction: Word Guess and Hangman are about narrowing down possibilities with each guess.
- You like finding hidden words: Spelling Bee and Anagrams are about spotting every word that can be built from a small set of letters.
- You like speed: Word Scramble and Anagrams run against the clock.
- You want to relax: Word Search has no wrong answers, just a pleasant hunt.
- You like puzzles with steps: Word Ladder feels closest to a logic puzzle, and pairs well with the games on our word and logic games page.
Strategies that actually help
Word Guess. Use your first guess to test common letters. A word with two or three different vowels and letters like R, S, T, L or N usually tells you more than an unusual word. On later guesses, remember that letters can repeat.
Spelling Bee. Look for common endings such as -ING, -ED and -ER, and common beginnings such as RE- and UN-. Once you find one word, try adding or swapping a letter to make its relatives. The pangram, which uses all seven letters, is often a longer word built from a simple root.
Anagrams and Word Scramble. Pull out likely letter pairs first, such as TH, CH, SH or QU, then build around them. Saying possible words out loud helps more than you might expect.
Crosswords. Fill in the answers you are sure of, then lean on the crossing letters. Short, common answers appear again and again in crosswords, so the more you solve, the faster you get.
A word on crosswords and where they came from
The first published crossword is usually credited to journalist Arthur Wynne, whose "word-cross" puzzle appeared in the New York World in December 1913. Within about a decade crosswords had become a national craze, and they have been a daily newspaper fixture ever since. The mini crossword, a small 5x5 grid you can finish in a couple of minutes, is a much more recent format that took off with phone-based solving.
If you want to go deeper, our blog has guides to crossword clue types, word game strategy and more.
Frequently asked questions
Is Word Guess like Wordle?
It follows the same popular format: guess a hidden five-letter word in six tries, with green for the right letter in the right spot and yellow for a right letter in the wrong spot. You get one daily word plus unlimited practice rounds.
Is there a new crossword every day?
Yes. A new daily mini crossword is published every day, along with larger themed grids. Hints and auto-check are available if you get stuck.
What is a good first word in Word Guess?
There is no single best word, but a strong opener uses five different letters, includes two or more vowels and features common consonants such as R, S, T, L and N. The aim is to learn as much as possible from your first row.
Do word games help build vocabulary?
They can help, especially games like Crosswords and Spelling Bee that expose you to words you might not use every day. You will get the most benefit if you look up unfamiliar words you meet while playing.
Which word games are best for kids?
Word Search, Hangman and Word Scramble are the most kid-friendly, with simple rules and shorter words. Older kids often enjoy the daily Word Guess too.
Can I play word games on my phone?
Yes. Every word game has an on-screen keyboard or tap-to-select letters, and the layouts adapt to small screens.