Word Wheel

Word Wheel gives you a ring of letters and a set of empty boxes. Build words from the ring to fill the boxes, and collect any extra words you can find along the way. It rewards patience and a good eye for small words hiding in big ones.

How to play

The letters sit in a circle on the wheel. You make a word by choosing letters in order, and each letter on the wheel can be used once in a word.

• On a phone or tablet: tap the letters one by one, or slide your finger across them in order. Press Enter when the word is ready.
• On a computer: click the letters, or simply type the word on your keyboard and press Enter.

The empty boxes at the top are the hidden words. Each row of boxes shows how many letters its word has. When you spell one of them, it drops into its row. Fill every row to win.

Any other real word of three letters or more that the wheel can make is a bonus word. It does not fill a box, but it is counted, and the Bonus button shows the list of the ones you have found.

Shuffle moves the letters to new places on the wheel. It changes nothing about the puzzle, but a fresh arrangement often makes a new word appear. Hint reveals one more letter of a hidden word.

The levels

• Easy: 5 letters on the wheel and 5 hidden words, from 3 to 5 letters long. The first letter of every hidden word is shown, and you have 3 hints.
• Medium: 6 letters and 6 hidden words, from 3 to 6 letters. First letters are shown, with 2 hints.
• Hard: 7 letters and 7 hidden words, from 3 to 7 letters. Some of the words are less common. First letters are shown, with 2 hints.
• Expert: 7 letters and 6 hidden words, all at least 4 letters long. Only the lengths are shown, not the first letters, and you have 1 hint.

On every level, one hidden word uses all of the letters on the wheel.

Today's game

There is one Medium wheel each day, the same for everyone. Start it from the "Today's wheel" button on the new game card. It remembers how many bonus words you found.

Tips

1. Begin with the short words. A three-letter word often turns out to be the first piece of a longer one.
2. Try common endings on every word you find: -S, -ED, -ER and -ING. Adding one letter can turn a short word into a hidden answer.
3. One hidden word always uses every letter on the wheel. Look for a common ending among the letters, such as -ING or -ER, and build the rest of the word in front of it.
4. Use the first letters on Easy, Medium and Hard. A box that begins with a known letter cuts the search down a lot.
5. If you are stuck, press Shuffle before you press Hint. Seeing the letters in a new order breaks up the pattern your eye has been stuck on.
6. Do not worry about bonus words while you hunt. If you spell one by accident, it is kept, and you can come back to the list later.
7. Say the letters aloud as you go. Hearing them in order is easier than only looking, especially with a seven-letter wheel.

Questions

Can I use a letter twice? Only if it appears twice on the wheel. Each place on the wheel can be used once in a word.

What counts as a bonus word? Any real word of three or more letters that the wheel can spell and that is not one of the hidden answers.

Does Shuffle cost me anything? No. It only rearranges the wheel.

Why does Expert show no first letters? That is the idea of the level. You see only how long each word is, so the wheel itself must do the work.