How to play Word Duel

The basics in 30 seconds

1. Type a real word with the right number of letters and press Enter.
2. Read the colors each tile turns, then use them for your next guess.
3. Find the word in fewer guesses than your rival. If you both need the same number, the faster player wins.

Everything runs in your browser — on a phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to install, and you can play as a guest without creating an account.

What the colors mean

• Green — the letter is in the word and in the right spot.
• Yellow — the letter is in the word, but somewhere else.
• Gray — the letter is not in the word at all (or not as many times as you typed it).

Double letters: each letter of the answer can only "pay out" once. If the answer has one E and you type two, only one of them turns green or yellow — the other one is gray. That gray tile is useful information: it tells you the letter does not repeat.

Your on-screen keyboard remembers the best color each letter has earned, so you can see at a glance which letters are still possible.

The reels: every duel is different

Before each duel three reels spin and decide what you'll play:

• Theme — animals, food, nature, at home, sports & games, travel, jobs, clothes & style, body & health, or music & arts. The theme stays on screen as a hint.
• Word length — from 4 to 7 letters. Short words are fast and tricky; long words reward a good vocabulary.
• Mode — Classic, Hearts or Open Book (explained below).

Once in a while the reels flash gold: a golden round pays double coins.

Each theme has its own guide with example words, clues and tips:

• 🐾 Animal word game
• 🍕 Food word game
• ⚽ Sports word game
• 🌿 Nature word game
• 🏠 Household word game
• ✈️ Travel word game
• 💼 Jobs word game
• 👕 Clothing word game
• 💪 Body parts word game
• 🎨 Music & art word game

Classic

One hidden word, 6 guesses and 3 minutes. Fewest guesses wins; on a tie, the player who solved it faster wins. While you play you can watch your rival's board fill up with colors — but never their letters. The duel ends early as soon as the result can't change any more, so there's no waiting around.

Hearts

Three words in a row, each with a short clue (for example "Moving air" for WIND). You get 3 tries and 90 seconds per word, and 5 hearts for the whole match. Every wrong guess or timeout costs a heart.

• Solve all three words first and you win on the spot.
• Otherwise the player with more hearts left wins, then the one who solved more words, then the faster one.

Hearts rewards confidence: a careful first guess is often worth more than three quick ones.

Open Book

Both players see each other's letters as they type and every word the other has played. Copying doesn't work — a word your rival already played is locked for you — so Open Book becomes a race of reading, speed and bluffing. Type a decoy and delete it, or use your rival's yellows before they do.

Daily Duel and the daily puzzles

The Daily Duel is a once-a-day ranked Classic duel on the same 5-letter word for everyone. If you prefer to play solo, try the Word of the Day (5 letters, 6 tries) or the much harder Word of the Week (7 letters, 10 tries).

Hints, coins and rating

• Coins come from duels, daily quests and solving the Word of the Day.
• Hints reveal one letter of the hidden word — one per word. Buy them with coins in the shop.
• Rating goes up when you win ranked duels and down when you lose. Create a free account to appear on the leaderboard and keep your progress on any device.
• Games with friends are just for fun — no coins or rating change hands.

Frequently asked questions

Ready?

Want to get better fast? Read our tips and best starting words, or just jump in — the first duel teaches you more than any guide.