Word Master
Word Master
Word Master puts a story around a spelling drill, and the story is what makes you keep going.
A girl is being chased. Every word you spell buys her ground, every second you hesitate gives it back, and the pressure is not abstract the way a score counter is. You are not playing for points, you are playing because something is catching up.
It is one of the older games on the site and it shows in the best way. No levels to unlock, no currency, no daily reward. A board, a clock, and how many words you can find.
How to play Word Master
- Letters are laid out on the board in front of you.
- Select them in order to spell a word, then submit it.
- Valid words score and the board refreshes with new letters.
- The clock keeps running whether you are spelling or thinking.
- Longer words are worth more than short ones, so the choice between spelling now and looking harder is the whole game.
Word Master was originally built in Flash. It runs here through a modern browser emulator, so there is no plugin to install and nothing to enable. It is built for a desktop screen and a keyboard rather than for a phone.
Tips and strategy
- Never let the clock run while you are hunting. Spell something short, take the refresh, and read a new board rather than staring at a dead one.
- Look for endings before you look for words. Spotting an S, an ER or an ING tells you a long word is available before you have worked out what it is.
- Three letter words are not a failure. In a timed game the score comes from how many words you submit as much as from how long they are.
- Learn the awkward letters. V, J and Q appear rarely and are worth knowing a handful of short words for, because a board built around one of them otherwise costs you thirty seconds.
- Play in short runs. Word recall drops noticeably after ten minutes of pressure, and two five minute sessions will beat one long one every time.
If you want the same pressure with a bigger grid, Word Wipe is the closest thing here, and the untimed builders are on the word games page.
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Developer
Word Master is made in house, and this is its home. It is not licensed from anyone else.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need Flash to play Word Master?
No. It was originally a Flash game and now runs through a modern browser emulator, so there is no plugin to install and nothing to enable.
Is Word Master timed?
Yes. The clock runs for the whole round, which is what forces the choice between spelling a short word now and hunting for a longer one.
Does Word Master work on a phone?
It is built for a desktop screen and a keyboard. On a phone the other timed word games here, such as Word Wipe, are the better fit.
Is Word Master free?
Yes. There is nothing to download, no account and no payment.
Do longer words score more?
Yes. Scoring rises with length, so one long word beats two short ones built from the same letters.