THE WORDWHEEL GUIDE
How to play Wordwheel
Make words from a wheel of letters. Find enough valid words to finish the goal, then keep exploring or move to the next puzzle.
Updated September 27, 2026
The rules, at a glance
- Make an English word with at least three letters.
- Include the highlighted required letter in every word.
- Use each tile at most once per word. A repeated letter needs a separate tile.
- Find the number of words shown above the wheel.
Any word in the game’s dictionary that fits these rules counts. You do not need to guess a secret list or solve the suggested clues.
Tap or type
Tap the letters one by one, including the required centre letter. To type, tap the word field to open your keyboard. Tap Enter or press the Enter key when your word is ready.
Here, STAR uses S → T → A → R. It uses the required A, and each tile only once. Other valid words count too.
Keep tapping or typing to extend a word. Backspace removes a letter; Enter submits your word. Tap the last selected letter again to undo it.
Use a clue when you’re stuck
Open Clues below the wheel. Read the definition and look at the letter pattern: each dash is a missing letter. Tap Reveal letter for a nudge, or Next clue for another suggestion.
You have three reveals per puzzle, shared across all clues and saved if you leave. At least one blank always remains. Clues are optional suggestions; any valid word still counts.
A few ways to get unstuck
- Start with three-letter words containing the required letter.
- Shuffle the wheel to see familiar combinations in a different order.
- Try rearranging the letters of a word you already found.
- To discover longer words, look for endings that fit the actual tiles. A plural counts only if it is in the dictionary.
Nine-letter play
Nine-letter puzzles use nine tiles with the required letter in the centre and a four-letter minimum. Tap letters or type, then press Enter to check your answer. A full-wheel anagram is available on every board. The count targets are curated, but any accepted word counts; solving the anagram is optional. Nine-letter discoveries stay separate from other modes.
Read the spelling and word-form policy before comparing with another publisher’s puzzle: dictionary rules can differ.
Timed sessions
Choose Timed for an optional 2-, 3- or 5-minute session on one seven-letter wheel. Find as many different dictionary words as you can; the usual required-letter and tile rules apply. There are no clues or reveals. The clock continues through dialogs, background tabs and reloads.
You can play offline after the game loads. Ranked sessions require an optional public profile and a connection. The server must receive each word before time expires. The timed leaderboard compares the best word count in a completed session of the selected duration, with all-time and daily views. Replays do not add together. Everyone gets the same timed wheel for a UTC date; daily results belong to the date a session starts.
Play and Daily
Play levels draw from more than 2,000 dictionary boards, with no final level. Reopening or reloading a level picks different letters of similar difficulty. Earlier words and points stay saved. Boards eventually repeat; when one returns, its discoveries and clue reveals return too. Choose Relaxed, Adaptive or Challenge beside the Play level heading. Changing difficulty starts a fresh wheel at the current level. If you have found words, confirm the restart first. Completed levels and earned points stay intact. Daily editions are numbered from Daily #1. A new shared puzzle unlocks at midnight UTC, and Browse puzzles opens earlier editions with their saved discoveries. Follow five word-count milestones from Good to Genius; Genius completes the Daily, while finding every accepted word is an optional final achievement. The milestone bar shows the next rank and the full word total. Targets vary by wheel. Daily boards rotate from the existing collection and may repeat.
Play and Daily have no deadline. Daily opens directly into its shared puzzle, with no clock or speed reward. Public competition is available only in Timed.