Word Hunt
NEWWorks on both desktop and mobile. Tap or click to play.
About This Game
Play Word Hunt free online. Find as many words as you can in the letter grid before the timer runs out. A fast, addictive word search.
How to play Word Hunt
Objective: Score as many points as you can within 90 seconds by tracing valid words out of a 4-by-4 letter grid, where a three-letter word is worth one point and a four-letter word is worth two.
Word Hunt gives you a 4-by-4 board of 16 letters and a 90-second clock. The grid is generated fresh each round and always contains at least five vowels, so there are always words to find. There is no level to clear and no lives to lose; the round is a single race to score before the timer hits zero. Press Start to reveal a grid and begin the countdown.
To spell a word, press on a starting letter and drag across letters that touch it. Tiles connect in all eight directions, so diagonals are fair game. Each new tile must sit next to the last one, and you cannot use the same tile twice in one word. If you overshoot, drag back onto the tile just before your current one to drop the last letter. Release to submit the traced word.
A submission scores only if it is three letters or longer and appears in the game's dictionary. A three-letter word is worth one point and a four-letter word is worth two. The word list is built almost entirely from three- and four-letter words, so a longer path almost never scores even if it spells a real word. A green check confirms a hit and a red X means the word was not recognized; repeated words are ignored.
Every valid word drops into a list below the board, most recent first. The score and remaining time sit above the grid, and the time turns red in the final ten seconds. When the clock reaches zero the board locks and a Time's Up panel shows your score and word count, and your best score is saved on this device. Press Play Again for a new grid and a fresh 90 seconds.
Tips and strategy
Chase the guaranteed vowels
Every grid ships with at least five vowels. Find the A, E, I, O, and U tiles first, then build short words around each one. Vowels turn a cluster of consonants into scorable words.
Four-letter words pay double
A four-letter word earns two points against one for a three-letter word. Once you spot a valid three, check the touching tiles for a letter that extends it, such as turning CAR into CARD or CAT into CATS.
Let the path go diagonal
A tile connects to any of its eight neighbors, corners included. A word that looks impossible across or down often works when the trace cuts diagonally between rows.
Skip long traces
The word list is almost all three- and four-letter words, so a five- or six-letter path almost always scores zero no matter what it spells. Keep traces short and submit often instead of hunting for long words.
Back up, do not restart
If a trace takes a wrong turn, do not release and begin again. Drag back onto the second-to-last tile to drop the last letter, so you can re-route without losing your earlier letters.
Frequently asked questions
How are points scored for words?
You earn one point for each valid three-letter word and two points for each four-letter word. The score updates the instant you release a recognized word. Words not in the dictionary, words shorter than three letters, and words you already found this round all score nothing.
Do longer words score more points?
A four-letter word scores two points against one for a three-letter word, and the scoring rules award even more for longer ones. In practice the word list is built almost entirely from three- and four-letter entries, so nearly every word you can find is worth one or two points and dragging out long paths rarely pays off.
Can I use the same letter tile twice in one word?
No. Each tile can appear only once per word. If a tile is already part of your current path, dragging onto it does nothing, with one exception: dragging back onto the second-to-last tile backtracks the path and removes your most recent letter.
Is my best score saved between games?
Yes. When a round ends your final score is compared with your stored best and saved in your browser if it is higher. The best score shows above the board every round. It stays on this device and is cleared if you clear your browser data.