Word Wipe is a grid of loose letters and a clock. Drag through neighbouring tiles to spell a word, the tiles vanish, and everything above them drops into the gap.
That last part is what makes it a puzzle rather than a vocabulary test. Every word you clear rebuilds the board underneath, so the letters you leave behind matter as much as the ones you take.
How to play Word Wipe
Each round sets a points target and a time limit. Reach the target and the next board is dealt.
- Look for a word of three letters or more among the tiles.
- Drag through the letters to select them. A word can run across, down or diagonally, and it may change direction partway.
- Release to submit. A valid word clears those tiles and the ones above fall.
- Watch the meter beside the board. Clearing words fills it, and a full meter earns a bomb.
- Place a bomb on a crowded corner to remove a three by three block in one move.
Scoring follows length rather than count. Two three letter words are worth less than the six letter word you could have made from the same tiles, which is why the fastest player is rarely the one with the highest score.
Tips and strategy
- Work from the bottom of the grid. Clearing low tiles drops the whole column and changes far more of the board than clearing the top.
- Before you take an obvious four letter word, check whether the same tiles reach a six.
- Plurals and past tenses are cheap points. If PLANT scores, look for the S or the ED sitting next to it.
- Hold a bomb until the board is genuinely dead rather than spending it on the first awkward patch.
- When the clock is short, stop hunting for the long word and clear anything that keeps the meter moving.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the shortest word allowed in Word Wipe?
Three letters. Two letter combinations will not submit, however valid they look in a dictionary.
Can words run diagonally in Word Wipe?
Yes. A word can run across, down, diagonally, or change direction partway through, as long as each letter touches the one before it.
How do you get a bomb in Word Wipe?
By filling the meter beside the board, which builds as you clear words. A bomb removes a three by three block of tiles wherever you drop it.
Does Word Wipe get harder?
Yes. The points target rises from round to round while the time you are given does not, so boards that felt comfortable early on stop being comfortable.