Verbicular
Rate itPlace the day's letters on a 5x5 grid so every row and column reads as words.
Every day: One numbered 5x5 grid a day for everyone (puzzle #492 on 5 October), with some cells blocked or pre-filled and a pool of letters that must all be placed so every across and down run is a word; difficulty rises from Monday to Saturday. New puzzle: Once a day, with a new numbered puzzle.
Verbicular is a daily word grid puzzle. Some squares of a 5x5 board are black, some are pre-filled, and you place every letter from the day's pool so that each run of two or more letters, across and down, is a valid English word. There are easy and hard modes and an archive of past puzzles.
About Verbicular
Verbicular calls itself a daily chess-board word puzzle. The 5x5 board has black squares that stay empty and grey squares already filled with letters, and the rest is up to you. Below it sits the day's pool of letters, and every letter in the pool must be used. You click an empty cell and then a letter, or drag letters into place, and every segment of two or more letters reading left to right or top to bottom has to be a real English word.
There are two modes. Hard mode shows only which letters are in the pool; easy mode shows how many of each there are. You can switch from hard to easy during a puzzle but not back. A hint button helps when you are stuck, and Check Solution tells you whether the grid is valid. Puzzles get harder through the week: Monday is easiest, Saturday hardest and Sunday in between.
The puzzles are numbered, with #492 on 5 October, and the site keeps an archive of more than 300 past grids. Keyboard shortcuts let you place letters and pick cells without a mouse. It suits players who like crosswords but enjoy fitting words together more than solving clues.
How to play Verbicular
- Open verbicular.com and choose easy or hard mode.
- Click an empty cell, then a letter from the pool to place it, or drag letters onto the grid.
- Make every run of two or more letters across and down a valid English word, using the grey letters as anchors.
- Use every letter in the pool; black squares stay empty.
- Press Check Solution, and use a hint if you get stuck.
Screenshots
Tips
- Start with the pre-filled letters as anchors and build words through them.
- Fill the most constrained row or column first, where few words fit.
- Watch common endings such as -ES and -ED across the bottom row.
- Try easy mode on a Saturday puzzle: the letter counts make a big difference.
Questions
Do I have to use every letter?
Yes. Every letter in the day's pool must be placed.
What is the difference between easy and hard mode?
Easy shows how many of each letter you have; hard shows only which letters are available. You can switch from hard to easy but not back.
Does difficulty change through the week?
Yes. Monday is easiest, difficulty rises to Saturday, and Sunday is medium.
Can I play older puzzles?
Yes, the archive holds more than 300 past puzzles.
Ratings and reviews
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