How to Play Word Hunt
Word Hunt is a four by four board of letters and a 90 second clock. You trace words by dragging across touching letters, and every word you find adds to your score.
The clock does not start until you find your first word, so you can read the board for as long as you like before the hunt begins. Everyone plays the same board each day.
Play Word HuntHow to play Word Hunt
- Drag from one letter to the next to spell a word. Letters have to touch, and diagonals count.
- Words are three letters or longer, and no letter can be used twice in the same word.
- Let go to submit. A word that counts flashes green with its points, a repeat flashes orange and anything else flashes red.
- The clock starts on your first word and runs for 90 seconds.
- When it reaches zero the board locks. New Game runs the same board again, so you can beat your own total.
The rules in short
- Sixteen letters, three letters minimum, 90 seconds.
- Each letter in a word must touch the one before it, diagonals included.
- A letter cannot be reused inside the same word.
- Longer words are worth much more than short ones.
- A new board every day, the same one for everyone.
Tips that find more words
Start with the endings. Hunt for an S, an ED or an ING sitting next to each other and you get a second version of half the words you already found.
Work out from one letter rather than scanning the whole board. Pick a corner, try every neighbour, then every neighbour of those, and words fall out in families.
Trust the short ones early. Banking a dozen three letter words costs a few seconds and gives you something to build on when the clock gets tight.
Rotate the board when you stall. The letters do not change, but reading them from a different angle usually shakes something loose.
Remember the clock waits for you. Spend ten quiet seconds planning your first chain before you touch anything.
Frequently asked questions
When does the clock start?
On your first word, not when the page loads. Read the board as long as you like first.
How long is a game?
Ninety seconds once it starts. New Game resets the clock on the same day's board, so you can have another run at it.
Do diagonals count?
Yes. Any letter touching the last one is fair game, including the four diagonal neighbours.
Is it the same as Boggle?
The board and the tracing are the same, and the letters come from the same dice. The clock is the difference, and Word Hunt deals its own board, so the two games never show the same letters on the same day.
Does everyone get the same board?
Yes. The board comes from the date, so you and a friend playing on the same day are hunting the same sixteen letters.