Word Release Rules

Build connected words on a 13 by 13 board, using a rack of nine letter tiles. New games give each player seven turns. Form words across or down, connect to existing tiles and aim for the highest score.

Explore Word Release

Play across languages, compete online, or practise against three bot levels. The guides below explain each way to play.

• How to play: a step-by-step guide
• Play online against other players
• Easy, Medium and Expert bots and Practice Mode
• Scoring, bonus squares and the nine-tile bonus

Dictionary and language guides

• Select Your Dictionary — choose British English, American English, German, Spanish or French.
• Play cross-language — share a board with an opponent using a different language.

Playing a turn

Select a rack tile and an empty board square, or select a starting square and then your letters. Place new tiles in one row or column, with no empty gaps between them. The first word crosses the centre square; later moves connect to existing tiles. All words formed by a move must be valid in the dictionary of the player making that move.

Press Play to submit a valid word. Pass skips your turn; Exchange replaces selected rack tiles. Either action uses a turn, including on the opening turn. Two consecutive passes by opposing players end the game. Otherwise, after both players have taken seven turns, the higher score wins.

Read the scoring and bonuses guide for letter multipliers, side words and the nine-tile bonus. New to the game? Follow How to play Word Release.

Hints and Super Hints

Hint costs one credit. Super Hint costs two additional credits and is available only in practice or against bots. In online games, it is unavailable on the opening turn and until the opponent is confirmed as a bot. Read Hints and Super Hints for costs, availability and playable-word guidance.

Best Hint

After Super Hint, Best Hint costs 3 additional credits to reveal the highest-scoring playable word, if another word can outscore the longest hint word. Read Hint, Super Hint and Best Hint for the differences and costs.

Choose your matching language

Open Language on the game selection screen. Beneath the dictionary choices, use “Allow online games with players using different dictionaries?” Choose Yes to allow other languages, or No to keep matching within your language. British and American English are grouped together as English. This default is saved to your account and applies to new online games without asking again. Existing games keep their original matching choice. Cross-language pairing requires both players to allow it and becomes eligible after the 24-hour matching period. If no suitable human is found after 24 hours, a bot using your dictionary can join.

Dictionaries and languages

Read how dictionaries, language selection and bot languages work, including the source credits and licences for all five word lists.

Earn and use letter swaps

Playing a bonus-phrase word earns one letter swap per bonus letter, alongside the usual 10 points per letter. For example, THE within THEM earns 30 bonus points and 3 letter swaps. Each awarded occurrence counts. Swaps belong to that player in that game and do not carry to other games.

When you have swaps available and it is your turn, a Swap button appears after End Game. Open Swap Letters, select rack letters up to your available balance and confirm. Each replaced letter uses one swap. It costs no credits and does not use your turn, so you can still play a word afterwards. Unselected letters keep their rack positions. Replacement letters are random; this does not draw a ball. A changed rack clears the current hint; any new hint purchase is for the new rack.

Bonus Words

Read Bonus Words to learn about bonus phrases, extra points and free letter swaps.