Split Words (Metro)

About Split Words (Metro)

Splitwords is one of the puzzles on Metro.co.uk, the website of the UK free newspaper. It sits alongside Metro's quick and cryptic crosswords, Word Wheel, Hangman and sudoku, and like them it plays in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer without signing in.

Each puzzle starts with a theme shown under the board, such as the TV shows of one actor, and a grid of letter tiles, sixteen on the board we played. Every tile holds a fragment of two or three letters. The words that fit the theme have been cut into those fragments and shuffled, so the job is to find which pieces belong together and in what order.

The theme does a lot of the work: once you guess one answer, the pieces it uses come off the board and the rest gets easier to read. A Hint button helps when you are stuck, and a timer runs in the corner; it can be paused, or switched off in the rules box.

It suits players who like 7 Little Words or other fragment puzzles, and anyone who enjoys a quick themed word puzzle with a cup of tea. The page carries Metro's adverts.

How to play Split Words (Metro)

1. Open Splitwords on Metro's puzzle pages and read the theme shown under the board.
2. Look over the tiles, each holding two or three letters.
3. Think of words that fit the theme and find the tiles that spell them.
4. Put the tiles together in the right order to make each word.
5. Keep going until every tile is used in a themed word; press Hint if you get stuck.

Tips

• Start from the theme: list the answers you would expect before you look at the tiles.
• Tiles with awkward letter groups, such as CKP or OTW, usually sit where two words of a name or title meet, so they narrow things down fast.
• Turn the timer off in the rules box if you would rather solve at your own pace.

Questions