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How to Play Spellstacks
Use all the letters. Use as few words as you can.
The Basics
Every day, you get 18 letters. Your goal is to use all of them by making valid English words. The catch? You want to use as few words as possible.
Example puzzle
L
A
C
T
W
I
M
R
D
F
B
S
Y
P
O
U
H
L
BIRTHDAYS
CLUMP
FOWL
How to Make Words
- Select letters from the grid by tapping or clicking them. On desktop, you can also type letters directly.
- Letters appear in the staging area at the top. The area turns blue when your word is valid, or orange when it's not recognized.
- Press Add Word (or Enter on desktop) to submit your word.
- Made a mistake? Tap the delete button or press Backspace to remove letters. You can also remove entire words by tapping the × next to them.
- Double-tap a word in your word list to look up its definition on Merriam-Webster.
Tips for Better Scores
Think big. Longer words use more letters, meaning fewer total words. A 9-letter word is worth three 3-letter words!
- Look for common endings like -ING, -TION, -NESS, -ABLE, or -LY that can extend words.
- Spot prefixes like UN-, RE-, PRE-, or DIS- that might combine with other letters.
- Spread out your vowels — make sure each word has enough vowels to work with. Don't use them all up early!
- Don't forget single letters! A, I, and O are valid one-letter words that can help you finish.
Scoring
Your score is simply the number of words you used. Lower is better! The game tracks your best (fewest) score and your current streak of days played.
Keyboard Shortcuts
On desktop, you can use your keyboard for faster play:
- A-Z — Type letters directly
- Enter — Add word
- Backspace — Delete last letter
- Escape — Close popups
Daily Reset
A new puzzle is available every day at midnight (your local time). Come back daily to keep your streak going!
Play Spellstacks →