Word SolitaireOne game here, and a guide to the rest
The only game on this site today is Word Solitaire. It is free, it plays in your browser, and it asks for no account. The rest of this page is a guide to word games in general, including many kinds we don’t host, because the right choice depends on what you want from a few quiet minutes with words.
How to choose a free word game
Before you settle on a game, ask a few plain questions.
- Does it run where you are? Word games online with no download work on a shared computer or a tablet with little storage. An app can give you more, but it has to be installed first.
- What does free mean here? Some free word games show ads, some ask for an account, and some hold back parts of the game for paying players. Read what the site says before you get attached.
- Does it put you under pressure? Timers and lives add excitement for some players and spoil the fun for others. Know which kind of player you are.
- Can you read it comfortably? Text size and contrast matter more than most game makers admit, on any screen.
- Will you want to come back? A daily puzzle gives you a reason to return, and a long run of levels lets you keep going when you have the time.
Word puzzle games by type
| Type | What you do | Good at | Not so good at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crosswords | Answer clues in a grid | Knowledge and wordplay | Being gentle when you are stuck on a clue |
| Word search | Find listed words in a grid | Easy, low-effort fun | Asking you to come up with words yourself |
| Hangman | Guess a hidden word letter by letter | Short games with someone else | Depth when played alone |
| Word ladders | Change one letter at a time | A tidy logic challenge | Variety over a long session |
| Anagrams | Rearrange letters into words | Letter-spotting practice | Long sessions, since one puzzle is soon solved |
| Word Solitaire | Spell words from cards to clear a table | Planning ahead with words | Playing against other people |
For seniors
Older players often want larger text, a calm pace and no fuss with passwords. Our page on word games for seniors covers text size, high contrast, the left-handed layout and screen-reader support, one by one.
For adults
If you want something for a grown-up vocabulary, read about word games for adults. There are also relaxing word games for the evenings when you would like a game to ask very little of you.
Daily puzzles
A daily word puzzle gives you one small thing to look forward to. Ours is a single deal per calendar day, the same for everyone playing in that language, with a streak kept in your browser. Today’s is on the daily deal page.
Spelling
Plenty of word games let you recognize a word without producing it. If you want to practice building words letter by letter, start with our guide to spelling games. Grown-ups who would rather skip anything that feels like school can go to spelling games for adults.
Card-based and anagram games
Solitaire fans may like a word card game, which keeps the piles and top cards and swaps suits for letters. If you are drawn to the letters themselves, the anagram game page is about seeing words hiding in a jumble.
New to Word Solitaire?
The rules take a minute to read, and playing a deal or two is the best way to learn them. If you end up wanting more than the 50 deals on this site, the iOS app has 200 and keeps adding new ones after that.