Griddles

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Split a letter grid into the day's category words, using every letter once.

Play Griddles

on griddles.io

Griddles share card: a 5x5 Countries grid with BRAZIL and FRANCE found and coloured, and two answers still to spot

Griddles hides the words of a category, such as countries or pizza toppings, in a 4x4 or 5x5 grid of letters. The letters do not have to touch, but every one must be used exactly once, so each grid has one solution. There are 18 categories at three difficulties, 54 new grids a day.

About Griddles

Griddles is a browser word puzzle built around categories. You pick one of 18, from Countries, Capital Cities and US States to NBA Teams, Chemical Elements, the NATO alphabet and Pizza Toppings, and a difficulty, and you get that day's grid of letters along with how many words to find.

Unlike a word search, the letters of a word can be anywhere in the grid. The catch is that every letter belongs to exactly one answer, with none left over and none reused. A word can fit the category and still be wrong if it leaves letters that cannot make the rest, so each grid has a single solution and plays as a small deduction as well as a vocabulary test. Found words are coloured on the grid so you can see which letters are left.

Easy grids are 4x4, Normal grids are 5x5 with common words, and Hard grids are 5x5 with rarer answers and some of more than one word. Three hints are on hand for each grid: two reveal an answer's first letter and one shows the lengths of the words still to find. Your time and hints decide your place on the daily leaderboard, and streaks and achievements reward playing every day.

All of today's grids are free without an account. A Premium plan at 3.99 pounds a month adds every past day's puzzles and removes the adverts.

How to play Griddles

Pick a category and a difficulty: Easy (4x4), Normal or Hard (5x5).
Read how many words from that category are hidden in the grid.
Tap letters anywhere in the grid to spell a word, then submit it.
Keep going until every letter is used in exactly one word.
Use a hint if stuck, knowing that hints and time count toward your leaderboard rank.

Tips

Start with rare letters such as Z, Q or X: they narrow down which answers are possible.
Count the letters left after each word; if they cannot make the rest, rethink the word you just played.
Play the Easy grid of a category first to get a feel for its answers before Hard.