How to play Word Tiles

Word Tiles is a Scrabble-style board game played against the computer. Choose the computer’s level (Beginner, Intermediate or Expert) and start a new game. You and the computer each have a rack of 7 letter tiles. Take turns placing words on the board to score points.

• Click a tile on your rack, then click a board square to place it. Click a placed tile to pick it back up.
• The first word must cross the centre star. After that, every new word must connect to tiles already on the board.
• Press Play word to score it. You can also Shuffle your rack, Exchange tiles, or Pass.
• Stuck? Use Suggest words to see options from your rack.

Bonus squares

Each letter has a point value. Coloured squares multiply your score: DL doubles a letter, TL triples a letter, DW doubles the whole word, and TW triples the whole word. The game shows your potential score as you place tiles.

Tips and strategy

• Put high-value letters on letter bonuses. A J or Z on a triple-letter square scores far more than a vowel.
• Play parallel words. Placing a word alongside another forms several short words at once, and every one scores.
• Keep a balanced rack. Try to keep a mix of vowels and consonants. Exchange tiles if your rack is all vowels or all consonants.
• Guard the triple-word squares. Avoid opening a TW square for the computer unless you can use it first.
• Learn short words. Short words like OX, AX, ZIP and JAB are very useful in tight spots, especially with high-value letters.

Frequently asked questions

Does the game send my data anywhere? No. It runs entirely in your browser.

What dictionary is used? A large general English word list. A few obscure entries may be accepted, and a few valid words may be missing.

Enjoy building words? Try Anagram Challenge or Word Hive.