How to Play

Clear the board by spelling words. Every word makes the remaining letters fall into new possibilities.

1. 1
   Connect at least 3 letters

   Drag through touching tiles, or tap them one at a time. Move across, down, up, or diagonally. A path can bend, but it can’t use the same tile twice.

2. 2
   Spell, then watch the spill

   Submit your word with the spell button. Those tiles disappear, the letters above fall down, and empty columns slide left. No new letters are added.

1. 1
   Three swaps per puzzle

   Tap Swap, then tap two tiles that share an edge. They trade places. Swaps go up, down, left, or right; diagonal pairs can’t swap.

2. 2
   Five letters start a Surge

   A word of 5 or more letters charges the remaining tiles touching its path, including diagonally. The charged tiles turn purple and move with the fall.

3. 3
   Use purple tiles in your next word

   Each charged tile is worth twice its usual value for the next word you submit. Unused charges then expire. A swap doesn’t spend the charge; a new 5-letter word can set off another Surge.

Add the values on the tiles you use, then apply the word-length bonus. Purple tiles already show their doubled value.

Half points round up. In the example, TRAIN has 6 tile points, so its five-letter bonus makes 12 points.

1. 1
   Clear every tile

   Finishing earns a point for each starting tile: +25 on the usual 5 × 5 board, or +36 on Sunday’s 6 × 6 board.

2. 2
   Bank your unused swaps

   Each unused swap earns +5 when the round ends, whether you clear the board or reach a dead end.

1. 1
   Take your time

   There’s no timer. Everyone gets the same daily board, with a new puzzle at midnight Eastern Time. Your progress is saved in this browser.

2. 2
   Try a different idea

   Undo takes back a move for free while you’re playing. Restart restores the original board and all three swaps. Restarting after a word removes first-try eligibility for that attempt.

3. 3
   When a word won’t go

   Check that the tiles touch, the word has at least three letters, and you haven’t reused a tile. The game’s word list decides what’s accepted; not every name or abbreviation is included.

4. 4
   When the board runs out of words

   If a swap can open up a word, you can keep playing. If no word is reachable with your remaining swaps, the attempt ends. You keep your score and can restart to find another route.

See how to plan your next move →