Free Words
Free Words
Our free daily · new every day Findish A word search with a new theme every day Play Free Words gives you a handful of letters and asks how much you can do with them. Every valid word you build from those letters counts, and the round is over when you have found enough of them or run out of ideas.
Games of this shape reward a specific and learnable habit, which is why two people with the same vocabulary can score very differently. The difference is not how many words they know. It is the order in which they look.
If you like this, Word Sauce sets the same problem with a different presentation.
How to play Free Words
- Look at the letters you have been given.
- Build a word by selecting letters in order.
- Each letter can be used once per word unless it appears twice in the set.
- Valid words are added to your list and scored.
- Find enough of them to complete the round.
Length and score
Longer words score more, but they are not where the points come from for most players. A round is usually won on volume: a dozen short words found quickly beats one long word found slowly, and the long word often falls out of the short ones anyway.
Tips and strategy
Work in a fixed order
Random hunting produces the words you already had in mind. A systematic pass produces the ones you did not.
- Find every three letter word first. They are the fastest points on the board and they warm up your reading of the letters.
- Add S to each of them where an S exists in the set.
- Try each three letter word with a fourth letter on the front, then on the back.
- Only then go looking for the long ones.
Prefixes and suffixes
- RE, UN, IN and DE on the front turn a word you have into a word you did not.
- ED, ER, LY, ES and ING on the back do the same. ING in particular is three letters that show up constantly.
- If the set contains an S, almost every noun you have found is worth two entries.
Rearranging the letters
Look at the letters as a shape rather than a line. Vowels first, then the consonants that like to sit beside them. TH, CH, SH, ST, TR and PL are the pairs English uses most, and finding one of them in the set usually finds you a word.
Habits that cost points
- Staring at the whole set hoping the long word appears. It rarely does before the short ones are cleared.
- Skipping three letter words because they feel unimpressive.
- Forgetting plurals, which is the single largest source of missed entries in every game of this type.
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Developer
Free Words is made in house, and this is its home. It is not licensed from anyone else.
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Frequently asked questions
How does Free Words work?
You are given a small set of letters and build as many valid words from them as you can. Each letter can be used once per word, unless it appears more than once in the set.
Do longer words score more?
Yes, but rounds are usually won on volume. Clearing the short words first is faster and often reveals the long ones as a by product.
What is the quickest way to improve?
Search in a fixed order: all three letter words, then plurals, then those words with one letter added front or back, and only then hunt for the long entries.
Are plurals allowed?
Where the set contains an S, yes, and forgetting them is the commonest way players leave points behind.
Is Free Words free?
Yes. It runs in the browser with no download and no account.