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The guide

How to play WordWiggle

WordWiggle is a word game where you find hidden words by swiping through their letters in one stroke, and the letters don't have to touch. Here's everything you need, from your first swipe to chasing a three-star clear.

1. Swipe a word in one stroke

  1. Touch the first letter of a word you can see.
  2. Swipe to each next letter, in order, without lifting your finger. Your trail glows blue and the word builds up at the top.
  3. Lift to check. A hidden word turns green, bounces and scores. Anything else gives a little red shake: “Not on this board”.
Swiping across the board: selected tiles glow blue and are numbered in order
Selected tiles glow blue and are numbered.
Letters don't have to touch. This is what makes WordWiggle different from a word search. Go straight from one letter to the next, right across the board if you need to. Tiles you pass over on the way don't break your word. Each tile counts once per word, so a double letter like the GG in WIGGLE uses two different G tiles.

2. The board and its clues

Every board is a fixed grid of letter tiles that never move. It hides a small set of common words, shown at the top as rows of dots, one dot per letter. Tap a word's dots to see its clue, for example “Opposite of more (4)”, where the number is the word's length. Found words fill in green.

WordWiggle sticks to everyday words you already know, with short, kind clues written so that children and grandparents can play the same board. You can choose US or UK English spelling.

3. How scoring works

Every word you find earns points. The score for a word grows with:

  • Length: longer words are worth more.
  • Speed: finding a word quickly earns a bonus.
  • Combo: each word in an unbroken run is worth more, up to double points.

Look out for the golden word: it scores three times its normal points. Clearing every word on a board adds a board-clear bonus. Points measure skill, so they can never be bought. Every point you score also counts towards your rank, from Bronze up to Diamond.

4. Combos and your Daily Streak

These two sound alike but mean different things:

  • Combo (shown as ×2, ×3…) counts correct words in a row during a game. One miss resets it to zero, but you keep the points you've scored.
  • Daily Streak counts days in a row that you've finished any game. Days change at 00:00 UTC. Every 7 days of streak earns a streak freeze, which is used automatically if you miss a day, so one busy day doesn't wipe out your streak.
A word found in green with a ×2 combo and a “Great find” message
A found word keeps the combo climbing.

5. Three ways to play

Levels

Relaxed, with no countdown clock. Work through chapters on a hand-drawn map, from Kitchen and Garden to Seaside and Space. Clear a level for ★, clear it within its par time for ★★, and clear it fast without any help for ★★★.

Blitz

A five-minute clock. Clear board after board, keep your combo alive, and chase your personal best.

Daily Challenge

The same board for everyone in the world, new every day at 00:00 UTC. You get one ranked try, see where you placed, and share a spoiler-free grid or challenge a friend with a link.

6. Stuck? Tap Hint

Hints are there to keep you moving. Depending on how stuck you are, you can get a new clue, reveal the first letter, show the route across the board, or skip the word or board. Skipped words score nothing and reset your combo, and using help means a level can't earn three stars.

7. Tips from the team

  • Read every clue first. Tapping through the dots takes a second and often gives away two or three words at once.
  • Start with the long word. It's worth the most, and finding it early protects your combo.
  • Swipe in straight lines. Go directly from letter to letter; there's no need to trace a path around other tiles.
  • Don't guess wildly. A miss resets your combo, so a moment's thought beats a quick guess.
  • Find the golden word early in Blitz, while your combo multiplier is high.
  • Play the Daily first. You only get one ranked try, so play it when you're fresh.

Questions about the rules

Can I use the same tile twice in one word?

No. Each tile counts once per word. A word with a double letter, like WIGGLE, uses two different G tiles.

What happens when I swipe something that isn't a word on the board?

The tiles shake, the game says "Not on this board", and your combo resets to zero. You don't lose any points you've already scored.

How are points worked out?

Every word earns base points, multiplied for longer words, for finding it quickly, and for your current combo (up to double). The golden word scores three times its normal points, and clearing a board adds a bonus.

What is the difference between a combo and a streak?

A combo counts correct words in a row during a game and resets on a miss. Your Daily Streak counts days in a row that you've played, and every 7 days earns a streak freeze that protects it on a missed day.

How do stars work in Levels mode?

Clear a level for one star, clear it within its par time for two, and clear it fast without using any help for three.

When does the Daily Challenge change?

At 00:00 UTC every day. Everyone in the world plays the same board, and each player gets one ranked try.

Ready to wiggle?

Try the demo board on the home page, right in your browser.

Play the demo board