What's the Word?

About What's the Word?

Each round of What's the Word? starts with a short definition, such as completely accurate and correct in every detail, and the number of letters in the answer shown as empty boxes. You type the word on the on-screen keyboard or your own, and the clock runs from the moment the round opens.

If the word will not come, two hints are on offer. Use it in a sentence shows an example with the word blanked out, and costs 10 points. Reveal first letter fills in the letters from left to right, one at a time, with the first letter costing 25 points. You can also skip a word: it scores nothing, resets your streak and shows you the answer. After each word you see a short note on where it comes from.

The Daily Five is the same five words for every player and changes at midnight India Standard Time. Finishing it gives a score and time and puts you in that day's ranking, under a display name you can set or skip. There is also a Blitz mode, a timed run of as many words as you can manage, with its own best-ever board.

It plays free in the browser with no sign-up. It suits people who like vocabulary games and the moment when a word on the tip of the tongue finally arrives.

How to play What's the Word?

1. Open the game and choose today's Daily Five.
2. Read the definition and note how many letters the word has.
3. Type the word into the boxes before too much time passes.
4. If you are stuck, use the sentence hint or reveal letters, each costing points, or skip the word.
5. Finish all five words to see your score, time and rank for the day.

Screenshots

Tips

• Count the letter boxes first: the length rules out most near synonyms.
• The sentence hint costs less than a letter, so try it first.
• Read the second half of a definition carefully: an also clause often points to a second meaning of the same word.

Questions