Word Game Finder

Tag: long

  • The Missing Letter

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    The Missing Letter Introduction/History

    The Missing Letter is a daily online crossword puzzle from Merriam-Webster, written by celebrated crossword creator Matt Gaffney.

    Each clue is a dictionary definition, and each answer begins with a different letter of the alphabet. At the end of the puzzle, the one letter not used is the “missing letter,” and players can collect these daily letters throughout the week to unscramble a weekly Mystery Word.

    The game combines traditional crossword solving with an alphabetic twist, offering a fresh challenge for crossword enthusiasts and vocabulary lovers.

    Rules of The Missing Letter

    Players are presented with a set of clues, each with a dictionary definition. Key mechanics include:

    • Answer Each Clue: Every answer must start with a different letter of the alphabet.
    • Identify the Missing Letter: After filling in all answers, the letter not used is the “missing letter” for that day.
    • Weekly Mystery Word: Collect the daily missing letters to unscramble a weekly word for an added challenge.

    The game is updated daily, giving players a new puzzle each day, and emphasizes vocabulary knowledge and deduction skills.

    The Missing Letter Strategy

    Work Alphabetically

    Use the constraint that each answer begins with a different letter to narrow possibilities, especially for letters with fewer common words.

    Leverage Dictionary Knowledge

    Because all clues are dictionary definitions, having a broad vocabulary and familiarity with Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary helps.

    Solve Easy Clues First

    Filling in the easiest clues first gives you context for trickier answers, and helps narrow down which letters might be missing.

    Track Missing Letters

    As you fill in the puzzle, note which letters have been used — this makes identifying the missing letter quicker at the end.

    Missing Letter website

  • Squares

    Squares is a Boggle-like clone in which players must form as many words as possible from the 4×4 grid of letters.

    Squares Rules

    Create words by connecting letters up, down, left, right, and diagonally. The goal is to find all the words in the letter grid and score the maximum number of points.

    • You earn 1 point for each letter in a guessed word. For example, you will receive 5 points for a 5-letter word.
    • Words must contain at least 4 letters.
    • Each tile cannot be used more than one time in a word.
    • Words with hyphens, proper nouns, vulgarities, and especially rare words are not included in the main word list.
    • Obscure, archaic, and slang words are bonus words — they do not earn points but are counted in the list of bonus words. You can continue searching for bonus words even after finding all the main words (after winning).
    • Also, in each puzzle, there is one “Word of the Day”. It’s an interesting and long word from among the bonus ones, for guessing which you will receive two additional hints.
    • A new Squares puzzle is released daily at midnight.

    Squares Strategy

    • You can rotate the playing field left and right using the buttons located in the bottom right corner. Try looking at the puzzle from different angles; it may bring you closer to victory.
    • After you find 40% of the words in the game, you will receive an additional hint – a number in the corner of each letter. This number indicates how many words are left that begin with that letter. If there is no number, it means there are no more words that start with that letter. If a letter changes its color to orange, it means that this letter is no longer used in the main words. However, it can still be used in bonus words.
    • In each game, you will have from 3 to 5 hints (a lightbulb button under the playing field). When you press this button, you will see the first letter of a random word, as well as the first direction to move in to guess it. You receive from 3 to 5 hints depending on the puzzle’s difficulty. Also, you can get 1 additional hint if you share the game link with friends (the button to the right of the hints button).
    • Squares does seem to include a number of fairly uncommon words even in the main list. This can lead to quite lengthy, head-scratching games!

    Squares website