21 Letters

About 21 Letters

21 Letters plays like a one-player crossword board game. The day's board is a small grid with a few bonus squares, such as Double Letter, Triple Letter, Double Word and Triple Word, placed differently each day. Your letters arrive as a rack of tiles, each with a point value, and more wait in a draw pile; over the round you get 21 in all.

You drag tiles onto the board to make words that connect to what is already there, crossword style, and the game shows what the move is worth before you lock it in, including every word it forms. When you run out of letters or can find no more words, you tap Finish Round and your score is final.

The how-to screen puts the daily rule plainly: each day brings 21 letters and a new board, and all players have the same board and letters for any given day. That makes each day a small competition, and the app lets you share your score with friends and family.

21 Letters is made by Shallot Games and came out on the App Store in June 2024. It suits Scrabble and Words With Friends players who want a short solo game with a fixed set of tiles.

How to play 21 Letters

1. Open the app to get the day's board and your first tiles.
2. Drag letters onto the board to make a word that connects to the words already there.
3. Check the points shown and lock in the move.
4. Keep playing words as new tiles come from the draw pile, aiming for the bonus squares.
5. When you are out of letters or moves, tap Finish Round and share your score.

Screenshots

Tips

• Plan for the Triple Word squares early; a long word through one is worth more than several short ones.
• Put high-value letters such as X, Z and Q on Double or Triple Letter squares.
• A move that forms two words at once scores both, so look for parallel plays.
• Do not spend all your vowels at once; later tiles from the draw pile may be all consonants.

Questions