COBBL
Rate itFive letters arrive one at a time from a cube; place them blind and make a five letter word.
Every day: One set of five letters a day, the same for every player, revealed one at a time on a spinning cube; you place them to make a five letter word, then try for more words with one MOVE and one SWAP. The screen says how many words today's letters can make. New puzzle: Midnight, your local time.
COBBL is a free daily word puzzle. The cube shows you one letter at a time and you must choose a slot for each before you see the next; the fifth letter then slides in at a spot you pick. Make a word, then use one MOVE and one SWAP to find the other words hidden in the same letters.
About COBBL
COBBL, first published as HEMWORD at hemword.com and now at cobbl.com.au (the old address forwards there and carries your streak across), is a small word game made by a player from Melbourne, who named it after the initials of his three daughters. It runs in the browser, is free, and asks for no signup; donations keep it going.
Each day has one puzzle for everyone: five letters drawn from a curated word list, with the game telling you how many words the set can make (three on the day we looked). The twist is that you never see the letters together at first. The cube turns up one letter, you press one of four spaces to put it there, and only then does the next letter appear. After four letters are placed, you press a dot to slot the fifth letter in between or at the ends.
If the five letters spell a word, you score. You then get one MOVE and one SWAP to rearrange letters and make further words for more stars, and a one-time SCRAMBLE that shuffles the four placed letters if you dislike their positions. Stars run from none to five depending on when you make words; a bonus SMUG POINT round gives a last chance to tap out a word you missed. Proper nouns are not allowed, but plurals and verb forms are.
A streak counts consecutive days solved, and a missed day scores zero. You can also create a group game, a short tournament against friends, where a word nobody else found earns extra points.
How to play COBBL
- Open cobbl.com.au and press PLAY for a solo game.
- The cube shows a letter: press one of the four spaces to put it there.
- Place the next three letters the same way as they appear.
- Press a dot to slide in the fifth letter and try to make a five letter word.
- Use MOVE and SWAP, once each, to make more words from the same letters and earn more stars.
- Share your stars, or start a group game with friends.
Screenshots
Tips
- Put common endings in mind early: an S or a Y is often safest in the last space.
- Keep vowels apart when you place them blind; it leaves more words open.
- SCRAMBLE costs nothing, but you cannot control where letters land, so use it only when stuck.
- Some valid words are obscure; if nothing obvious fits, a plausible letter order may still be accepted.
Questions
Is COBBL free?
Yes. It runs in the browser with no signup; donations are optional.
Is the puzzle the same for everyone?
Yes. Each day's letters come from a fixed daily rotation, so every player gets the same set.
When does the next puzzle come?
At midnight in your local time.
Are proper nouns allowed?
No. Plurals and other forms of ordinary words are fine.
What is a SMUG POINT?
A bonus one-shot try after you have used MOVE and SWAP while words are still unfound: tap the tiles in order to spell one.
Is COBBL the same game as HEMWORD?
Yes. HEMWORD moved to cobbl.com.au under the name COBBL; hemword.com now forwards there and hands over your saved progress.
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