How to play Word Links
The rules
- The grid is filled with letters, and the list under it shows the words to find.
- Drag through touching letters to spell a word: up, down or sideways, never diagonally, and never the same square twice. You can start at either end of the word.
- Together the words make one path through every square: each word starts on the last letter of the word before. That shared letter is the only square two words can use.
- The puzzle is solved when every word is found and every square is covered.
How to play here
- Drag from the first letter to the last (or back). A found word gets a coloured line and is crossed out in the list.
- A spelling that crosses a word you already found is not accepted: the line shakes.
- Keyboard: the arrows move, Space adds a letter, Enter adds it and checks the word, Escape cancels.
- Undo takes back the last word, Check shows a word in the wrong place, and a hint shows where to look.
Difficulty levels
| Level | Grid | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 5×5 | Words that fit in only one place |
| Medium | 6×6 | Also: a word with only one place left that does not cross a found word |
| Hard | 7×7 | More of those, with longer words |
| Expert | 7×7 | Also: a square that only one word can still reach |
Tips
- Start with long or unusual words: they often fit in only one place.
- A corner square has only two neighbours, so few words can pass through it.
- Look for a square no found word covers yet: if only one word can still reach it, that word goes there.
FAQ
- Can more than one answer work?
- No. Every puzzle is checked before you see it: only one way to place all the words covers every square.
- Which words are used?
- Common English words of 3 to 9 letters. Easy and medium use 3 to 7 letters, hard and expert 4 to 9.
- Do diagonal moves count?
- No. Each letter of a word must touch the next one at a side: up, down, left or right.
- What if a word fits in two places?
- You can find it in either place, but only one of them leaves room for the other words. Use Check or a hint to see if a word is in the wrong place, and Undo to take it back.
- Is there a new puzzle every day?
- Yes. Each puzzle is built from the date, so every day brings a new Word Links at each of the four levels: easy, medium, hard and expert. Earlier puzzles are in the archive.
- Do I need an account to play?
- No. You play right in your browser, with no sign-up and no cookies. Your progress is saved in your browser.