Wridges

About Wridges

Wridges is one of the games The Washington Post makes for its games section, next to Keyword, Mini Meta and its crossword. The Post calls it a next-level word search. It is free in the browser.

The board is a tall grid of letter tiles. You drag across tiles that touch to spell a word of three letters or more, and every word has to start from the bottom row. A good word clears a path upward and raises your level. The aim is to reach the highest level you can before the clock runs out.

Time is the resource. A word earns an extra second for each letter beyond three and for each level beyond three that it climbs, so long words that reach up the board pay twice. Bonus letters on the board add more time, and more each time you collect one, and they also give you skip-level uses for when you are stuck.

Each day's board is the same for everyone. The game shows today's average and your own high score for the day, and you can share your game so a friend plays the same board against your score. It suits fast word-search players who like a clock and a number to beat.

How to play Wridges

1. Open Wridges and choose Play today's to start the day's board.
2. Drag across touching letters, starting on the bottom row, to spell a word of three letters or more.
3. Release to play the word; it clears a path and moves you up the board.
4. Spell longer words, and words that climb several levels, to earn extra seconds.
5. Collect bonus letters for more time and for skip-level uses.
6. Keep climbing until the clock runs out, then compare your level with today's average.

Tips

• A word that reaches up three or four levels is often worth more than a long flat one.
• Pick up bonus letters early: each one adds more time than the last.
• Save skips for a row with no usable letters rather than spending them at once.
• Plurals and common endings like -ED and -ING are an easy way to stretch a word upward.

Questions