Knight Hop: Word Puzzle (Paardensprong)

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Read the day's eight-letter word by hopping round the board like a chess knight.

Play Knight Hop: Word Puzzle (Paardensprong)

on apps.apple.com

Knight Hop daily puzzle in play: a 3x3 letter board with four squares linked by knight's moves and NECK spelled so far under the board

Knight Hop is a timed word puzzle for iPhone and iPad based on the knight's move puzzle, paardensprong in Dutch. Eight letters sit on the outer squares of a 3x3 board, and the hidden word is spelled by L-shaped knight's hops. The daily puzzle is the same word for everyone, you get one attempt, and your time goes on a Game Center leaderboard.

About Knight Hop: Word Puzzle (Paardensprong)

The centre square of the board stays empty. Starting from the right letter and hopping like a knight each time, you visit all eight outer squares and read out an eight-letter word; the how-to-play page shows TRIANGLE as the example. The puzzle is that you do not know which letter comes first or which way round the path goes. You tap the first letter, then tap or swipe along the path, and only valid knight's moves light up. The word builds up under the board as you go, with buttons to clear or give up.

The Daily puzzle button on the home screen opens the day's word, which is the same for every player. There is only one attempt, the clock counts up from the start, and your daily time is posted to a Game Center leaderboard. A Play button gives extra rounds outside the daily, and the app tracks how many you have solved, your times and your solving streak, shown at the top of the home screen. Achievements reward fast solves and milestones.

Knight Hop is made by RocketScience IT and came to the App Store in June 2026. It is free, and the App Store page lists no in-app purchases or ads. You can switch between English, Dutch and German from the home screen, and sound effects and haptics each have their own switch.

How to play Knight Hop: Word Puzzle (Paardensprong)

Open Daily puzzle from the home screen; the clock starts counting up.
Look at the eight letters round the empty centre and guess which one starts the word.
Tap that letter, then tap or swipe from square to square; only knight's moves light up.
Carry on round the whole board until all eight letters spell a word.
Your time goes on the daily Game Center leaderboard, so think before you start the path.

Screenshots

Knight Hop how to play page showing the letters of TRIANGLE read by knight's moves round a 3x3 board

Knight Hop home screen with a 7 in a row streak, a language picker, a Play button and a Daily puzzle button for Friday

Tips

From any outer square there are only two knight's moves, so once you pick a start there are just two directions to read.
Look for common word starts and endings among the letters, such as -ING or -ED, before tapping.
Say the letters aloud in knight order from a few starting squares; the word often jumps out.
You get a single attempt at the daily, so use the Play rounds to practise reading the path.