How to play ItWord

The basics

An example game

Say the ItWord were PLANET. Each round's word starts and ends on neighbouring letters of it, and gets one letter longer, until the last round wraps back around to the first letter.

1. Round 1: 3 letters, from P to L

   PAL, 13 points

   P

   A

   L

2. Round 2: 4 letters, from L to A

   LAVA, 9 points

   L

   A

   V

   A

3. Round 3: 5 letters, from A to N

   APRON, 9 points

   A

   P

   R

   O

   N

4. Round 4: 6 letters, from N to E

   NATURE, 5 points

   N

   A

   T

   U

   R

   E

5. Round 5: 7 letters, from E to T

   ELEMENT, 5 points

   E

   L

   E

   M

   E

   N

   T

6. Round 6: 8 letters, from T to P

   TEARDROP, 13 points

   T

   E

   A

   R

   D

   R

   O

   P

Any valid word that fits will do, but the rarer it is, the more points it scores.

How the rounds work

• There are six rounds, one for each letter of the ItWord.
• Each round's word must start on one letter of the ItWord and end on the next. The first and last letters are filled in for you.
• Words get one letter longer each round: three letters in round one, up to eight in round six.
• The final round wraps around, ending on the ItWord's first letter.
• A round is complete as soon as you enter a valid word. If a word isn't recognised, try another.

Points in detail

• Every valid word that fits a round is ranked by how often it's used. The rarest words score 17 points, and more common words score less, down to as few as 1.
• The rarest words of all also earn a star, though not every round has one.
• Each guess that isn't a recognised word costs 1 point, up to 3 points per round.
• Each round's clock starts when the previous one ends, and you lose 1 point for every full minutes a round takes, up to 5 points per round.
• If you're stuck, you can use your one reveal per game to fill in a valid word for the round. A revealed word scores no points, and the round's time penalty still applies. (Requires a free account)
• Your final score is the total of your words' points less any penalties, from 0 to 100.

Streaks

• Your streak is how many days in a row you've finished the daily ItWord.
• The flame next to the help icon at the top of the page shows your current streak. You'll find it on your profile too.
• The flame stays grey until you've finished today's game. Not having played yet doesn't break your streak, so you have until the next ItWord to keep it going.
• Finished a game before signing up? Create your account the same day and it counts as the first day of your streak.
• The longer your streak, the deeper the flame's colour, until it turns gold.

Leaderboards and accounts

• Anyone can play, with or without an account.
• With a free account your games appear on the daily leaderboard, and your profile tracks your stats, streak, best words and game history.
• Players are ranked by score, then by fewest incorrect guesses, then by fastest time.
• Today's leaderboard unlocks once you've finished today's game, so it never spoils the answer. Past days' leaderboards are open to everyone.
• When you finish, you can share your result. It includes your score, time and incorrect guesses, but never your words.

Tips for a higher score

• Think beyond the first word that comes to mind. Unusual and specialist words often score far more.
• Make sure a word is real before you enter it, as every miss costs a point.
• Keep an eye on the clock. A good word now can be worth more than a perfect one in six minutes' time.
• Plurals and other word forms count too, which can open up extra options.

Frequently asked questions