Typeshift (app)

Typeshift comes from Zach Gage, the designer behind SpellTower and Good Sudoku, and first appeared on the App Store in March 2017; the Android version, published by Noodlecake, followed later that year. It calls itself anagrams meets word search, with a sprinkle of crosswords. Each puzzle is a set of letter columns of different heights. Moving the columns lines up different letters along the centre row, and whenever that row spells a word, it counts. The goal is not one word but full coverage: every letter in every column has to have been part of some word before the puzzle is done.

The app has a free daily challenge, the same for everyone, and a global leaderboard ranks the fastest solving times. Difficulty follows the week: Monday's puzzle is the gentlest and each day after asks a little more. Besides the daily, there are clue puzzles where each word you make must match a crossword-style clue written by one of the app's puzzle authors.

Typeshift also lives on the web as one of Puzzmo's games, but the app is the original home of its daily challenge. The app is free with ads, and buying any of its paid puzzle packs removes them. It suits anagram fans and anyone who likes a short, tactile word puzzle with a clock to beat.