Blossom

About Blossom

Blossom is a daily word game from Merriam-Webster, played in the browser on the dictionary's own games page. Seven letters are set out as a flower: one in the centre and six around it as petals. The puzzle is the same for everyone who plays that day.

The twist is the limit. You do not try to find every word, as in the puzzles it resembles; you get exactly 12 words and the day is over. Each word must be at least four letters long, must use the centre letter, and may repeat letters. Longer words score more, a word that uses all seven letters (a pangram) earns a large bonus, and one petal is marked as the bonus letter, so every time a word uses it you score extra.

That makes each turn a small choice between a safe word now and a longer one that you are not yet sure of. A good day is less about how many words you know and more about spending your 12 turns on the best ones.

It suits players who like the New York Times Spelling Bee but want a game that ends in ten minutes, and anyone who enjoys chasing a score rather than a full word list.

How to play Blossom

1. Open Blossom on the Merriam-Webster games page and look at the seven letters: one in the centre and six in the petals.
2. Note which petal is marked as the bonus letter for this turn.
3. Type or tap a word of at least four letters that includes the centre letter; you may use a letter more than once.
4. Submit the word to bank its points; longer words and words using the bonus petal score more.
5. Keep going until you have played all 12 words, then compare your total with the day's target.

Screenshots

Tips

• Look for the pangram first: a word that uses all seven letters is worth far more than any other single word.
• Save your strongest long words for turns when the bonus petal is one of their repeated letters.
• Suffixes such as -ING, -ED and -ER often turn a four-letter word into a seven or eight-letter one.
• Do not waste early turns on short words; with only 12 plays, every four-letter word costs you points.

Questions