Special modes

Twenty-one ways to search

The Word Path runs from level 1 to 250, with a special mode waiting every five levels: the same relaxing search, but with one rule that changes everything.

21

game modes

250

levels along the path

1 in 5

levels features a special mode

15

languages, same modes

01

The board changes

The tiles join in: they freeze, tilt, grow, or slowly drain.

Classic

level 1

Straight words in eight directions, with no tricks.

The format that started it all: a full grid, a word list beside it, and words arranged in straight lines horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, forward and backward. Every level that follows puts its own spin on this.

Twisty Words

level 10

Words twist and turn across the grid instead of running in straight lines.

Every word takes a turn along the way. Drag from one letter to the next and follow each bend. Straight lines are a thing of the past. The same letters, a whole new way of looking.

Frozen Letters

level 20

A layer of ice covers the grid, and every find cracks it open a little more.

Some letters are trapped under the ice and cannot be read. Every word you find cracks the ice around it, revealing new letters. Work your way outward from the open area.

Word Web

level 40

No filler letters. The entire grid is made of words.

Every cell belongs to a word, with no stray letters to hide behind. The words weave through one another, built around one long theme word as the backbone. By the end, the grid is completely empty.

Honeycomb

level 60

Hexagonal cells mean six directions, with no rows or columns.

The grid is a honeycomb of hexagons. Words run in six directions, and rows and columns disappear completely. The final twenty-five levels of the path take place across this entire zone.

Waterfall

level 70

Found letters fall away and everything else drops down.

No filler letters here either. Find a word and its letters fall out of the grid, sending everything above them tumbling down and creating the next wave of words. After the final wave, the grid is completely empty.

Switch Tiles

level 90

Twin tiles show two letters, and the word you find decides which one counts.

At an intersection, a tile shows two letters, such as A and E. The first word to pass through chooses its letter, which then stays tucked into the corner so the second word can still pass through.

The Beaver Dam

level 120

Pull branches from the dam, as long as everything left behind stays connected.

The grid is a dam of woven branches with no filler letters. Pull out one word at a time, but only if the dam stays in one piece. If a find would split it apart, the dam refuses and highlights the branches that would wash away.

The Ripple

level 170

With every find, the board grows outward by one ring.

You start with a 5×5 core. Every word you find creates a new ring around it, like ripples on water. By the end, you will have grown the entire board yourself.

The Island

level 190

The outer ring sinks away, so save the words along the shore in time.

With every find, the board’s outer ring sinks away toward a 7×7 heart. Words along the shore will drown if you leave them behind, so choose your route carefully.

The Round World

level 200

Right wraps around to left, and bottom to top. The board is a sphere.

Words can run right off the board and reappear on the other side. A translucent two-cell border shows what is just around the corner, and every copy of a cell lights up when you touch it.

02

The list changes

You do not immediately know which word to find. First think, then search.

Riddles

level 30

No word list, just clues. Think first, then search.

Instead of words, you get riddles: a short clue and the number of letters. Figure out the word yourself, then find it in the grid. If you get stuck, the grid will help you along.

The Sketchbook

level 100

The word list is drawn, with one doodle for each word.

Instead of words, you see ink drawings with only the number of letters beside them. The word appears beneath the drawing only after you find it. Sixty words each have their own doodle.

Word Chains

level 110

Each word begins with the final letter of the one before it.

One long chain, where every word begins exactly where the previous one ended. You find them in order, knowing only the first letter and the length. Find one link and the next opens right away.

Opposites

level 130

The list gives the opposite, while the answer is hidden in the grid.

When you see “Pepper (4),” look for SALT. Each entry in the list is the opposite of the word actually hidden in the grid, with the number of letters to guide you.

The Blueprint

level 150

The list shows shapes: the path each word follows.

The list has no letters, just the shape of each path in its true orientation, with a dot marking the starting point. No two words share the same shape, so the drawing is always enough.

The Surveyor

level 160

Every word appears twice, and a measurement points to the right one.

Every word appears twice on the board, but only one location counts. A quick measurement, like “touches the edge” or “is in the northern half,” tells you which one. A slim compass border around the board helps you find your bearings.

The Rule Hunt

level 180

No list, just one rule: find everything that matches.

The entire board follows a single rule, such as “everything that rhymes with MOON.” You search without a list as a counter fills up. The rhyming version ends with a little poem from Mia.

03

The language changes

The letters do not make sense at first. It is up to you to crack the code.

Secret Code

level 80

Some cells show a symbol, and you figure out which letter it represents.

Some letters have been replaced by symbols. Find a word that passes through one of those cells, and every matching symbol across the grid flips to reveal its real letter. Little by little, you decode the entire grid.

04

The clock joins in

Two fast-paced modes in a game that is otherwise never in a hurry.

Blitz

level 50

Sixty seconds, and every cleared grid earns you a new one plus extra time.

The ultimate speed challenge. You get sixty seconds. Clear a grid and a new one appears instantly, along with six extra seconds. How far can you get before the clock hits zero?

The Fuse

level 140

A fuse creeps across the board: whatever you find, you save.

Cell by cell, the fuse scorches its way across the board. Scorched letters remain readable, but every word you find in time is saved. There is no game over. Your score is whatever you rescued from the flames.

Where will you find them?

They appear naturally along the Word Path: the first at level 10, then more and more often, until every fifth level is a special mode from level 50 onward. If you want to play a mode more often, you can find it in the puzzle books, with seventy-five levels featuring the same mechanic in a row.