Wordle
So since the New York Times bought Wordle from Josh Wardle for a reported 7 figure sum, Word games in general have become increasingly popular. Interestingly, the official New York Times Wordle game is not available as an app but there are of course copycat versions like this one, by a developer called Goldfinch Studios, which is free with Ads or $2.99 without ads.
If you want to play the original version, you’ll need to go to nytimes.com/wordle where they offer a new game each day.
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Scrabble Go
One of the most popular Word games on the app store is Scrabble Go, which replaced the much loved EA version of Scrabble. The new gamified version with full screen ads and constant interruptions was so disliked by fans of the original game they started a petition to have the original reinstated to the app store.
Wordmaster
The petition wasn’t successful and Scrabble Go remains, but if you’re looking for a scrabble game without all the nonsense then I recommend WordMaster. Wordmaster doesn’t have the option to play with friends online but there is a two player mode where you share the one device, otherwise you play against the computer.
I play this all the time and absolutely love it. You’ll get ads with the free version but the banner ad at the top of the page isn’t intrusive at all and then there’s a video ad at the end of each game which you can skip after 5 seconds. Honestly, I was so pleased with the developer’s commitment to gameplay over financial gain that I happily spent the couple of bucks it costs to remove the unintrusive ads.
Words With Friends
You’ve probably heard of Words With Friends which is almost identical to Scrabble Go. It’s made by the mobile game developer Zynga who also reincarnated another classic word game - Boggle. Unfortunately, both these games are almost unplayable due to the endless stream of ads and notifications to collect gems and other pointless rewards.
Wordament
Zynga may have ruined Boogle but Microsoft have created their own excellent version of the classic word game called Wordament.The object is exactly the same: try and find as many words as possible using the 16 letters displayed in a 4x4 grid. There are a few unique twists and a multiplayer version if you create an Xbox Live account. Otherwise this is a very fun single player word game without any unnecessary distractions.
Infinite WordSearch Puzzles
If you prefer WordSearch puzzles to Scrabble or Boggle, then Infinite WordSearch Puzzles is worth a try. Like many games it starts off being way too easy but it quickly ramps up to get more challenging. The games are timed, just a bit of extra pressure. If you fancy something different, it’s well worth the free download.
Four Letters
Another fun word game with a time limit is Four Letters. This is all about guessing as many of the four letter words as possible as the clock runs down. The quicker you guess correctly the more time you add to the clock. There are lots of variations of this game but this is the best of the free versions. Limited ads and minimum interruptions - ready, set, go!
Clues In Squares
If you enjoy crosswords you’ll enjoy Clues In Squares, which is exactly that - a variety of crosswords where the clues are written into the squares. There’s no fuss with this game, just one ad before each crossword and then you’re free to play without interruption. There are three levels and 90 crosswords in total to complete, increasing in difficulty.
Bonza Word Puzzle
A different twist on the standard crossword format is Bonza Word Puzzle. Bonza is a combination of guessing words based on a theme and then putting the words together into a crossword format.
Again, you’ll have to churn through the easy rounds to make it satisfyingly challenging, and to also ensure you collect enough coins to unlock more levels, but otherwise it’s one of the games that’s good for chewing up a few moments while you wait for the kettle to boil.
Cryptogram
Replacing letters with alternate letters and symbols has been used as a way of encrypting messages since the time began. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a code breaker and enjoy looking for patterns in words then you might like to try Cryptogram. The aim of cryptogram is to decipher famous quotes using the letters available to you.
You play against the clock and the faster you are, the more points you earn, taking you higher up the leaderboard. This is another game with very few ads or annoying distractions, which only adds to its appeal. Although, if you’re not up on your famous quotes, you may find this slightly challenging.
SpellTower
Another word search type puzzle is SpellTower. Simply drag your finger over the letters to spell words. If you get bored of playing the original game, there is a variation similar to Tetris where each go adds a new row of letters requiring you have to find words before the rows fill the screen. I think the added time pressure makes this alternate version better than the original but see what you think.
TypeShift
The same developer has another game called TypeShift where you shift letters up and down to create words, similar to playing a slot machine. Each round gets progressively harder with more letters added creating longer words to find. While both TypeShift and Spell Tower have ads, like most of the games on this list, the ads are infrequent and don’t tend to detract from playing.
Wheel of Fortune
Finally if you love watching the game show on tv, then you’ll enjoy playing this free version of Wheel of Fortune. The format is very much true to the original show and you can play with friends online or against the computer. It’s made by the same developer that makes Scrabble Go so expect full screen ads and lots of pointless achievements but it’s still a lot of fun.
So there we have some of the best free word game apps available for iOS and Android. If you found this post useful, I recommend checking out my YouTube channel for lots of videos on all your favorite apps.
