Word Sauce
Word Sauce
Word Sauce hands you a ring of letters and a board with blanks on it, and asks you to find the words that fill them. Every answer uses the letters you have been given and nothing else.
The reason a puzzle like this feels harder than it is comes down to how people search. Left alone, your brain offers up the words it uses most, in the order it uses them, and then stops. The board wants a systematic sweep instead, and that is entirely learnable.
Free Words sets the same problem without the board.
How to play Word Sauce
- Look at the letters in the ring.
- Trace or select letters to build a word.
- Words that appear on the board fill in.
- Extra words you find outside the board usually count as bonuses.
- Fill the board to complete the level.
The board is a map
The blanks tell you how long each answer is and where the answers cross. That is more information than it looks: a five letter slot that crosses a three letter slot at its second letter narrows both enormously once either is filled.
Tips and strategy
Sweep in order of length
- Every three letter word first.
- Add S to those where the set has one.
- Take each three letter word and try a letter on the front, then on the back.
- Then look for the long word, which by now is often obvious because you have seen most of its parts.
Use the vowels as anchors
Write the vowels out mentally and see how many there are. A set with one vowel produces short blunt words. A set with three produces longer ones, and the long answer almost always uses all of them.
Letter pairs that carry English
TH, CH, SH, ST, TR, PL, BR, CR and NG. If one of these is available in your set, it is nearly always part of an answer. Building from a pair rather than a single letter cuts the search in half.
Endings
- ER, ED, LY, ES and ING are the most productive suffixes in the language.
- ING in particular consumes three letters, which is why it so often unlocks the longest slot on the board.
- If the set contains an S, every noun you have found is worth checking again as a plural.
When you are stuck on the last slot
Stop looking at the ring and look at the blanks. Count them, note any letters already filled by crossing words, and try each remaining consonant in the first position out loud. The answer is usually a word you know perfectly well and simply have not offered.
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Frequently asked questions
How does Word Sauce work?
You are given a set of letters and a board of blanks. Build words from those letters to fill the board, with extra words found along the way counting as bonuses.
What is the fastest way to find words?
Sweep systematically rather than waiting for inspiration. All the three letter words first, then plurals, then those words with one letter added at either end.
Are bonus words worth finding?
Yes, and they often reveal the letters of the longer board answers as a side effect, so hunting them is rarely wasted time.
Which endings should I try?
ER, ED, LY, ES and ING. The last one uses three letters at once and frequently unlocks the longest slot.
Is Word Sauce free?
Yes, free in the browser with nothing to install.