Free online word games
Free online word games: one game, many ways to play
Wordtide is one free word game with several modes inside it. Some days you want a quick puzzle, some days a long session with other players, and sometimes a calm round with a small child on your lap. Each mode below opens in the browser in a few seconds, on a phone, tablet or computer, with no download and no account.
The live world: one endless shared board
The main game is a single board that never ends and that everyone plays on at the same time. You hold a rack of seven letter tiles and place words that connect to tiles already on the board, the way a crossword grows. Letter values and bonus squares decide your score, and every word stays where you put it for the next player to build on.
There are no matches to queue for: you open the game and play. Your words colour the map for your Tide (one of four teams), and a weekly league of up to 30 players gives you something to climb if you want it. The board plays in 39 languages, each with its own dictionary and its own world.
Daily Seven: a five-minute daily puzzle
Everyone gets the same seven letters each day, starting at midnight UTC. You have three tries to find your best-scoring word; reach the day's par for stars and keep your streak going. Results are shared as stars and a score, never the word, so nobody gets a spoiler. The calendar keeps past days if you want to practise.
Solo Journey: 100 word puzzles to play alone
Journey is the single-player side: 100 hand-made levels spread over eight islands. Each level has a fixed board, a goal and a move limit, and each island adds one new idea, from rocks to build around to a secret word hidden behind a clue. It is the mode to pick when you want to think rather than race.
Little Tide: first words for ages 3 and up
Little Tide is the kids mode. A picture appears, a friendly otter says the word, and your child drags letters into place by sound. There is nothing to read, no timer and no way to fail, and Little Tide never shows ads.
With friends and teams
Send a challenge link and a friend plays the same puzzle so you can compare scores. Make a crew of two to eight players with one shared weekly goal, or enter the Weekend Cup: five letter boards that everyone plays between Friday evening and Sunday midnight UTC.
Questions
Are these word games really free?
Yes. Every mode is free to play and nothing you can buy makes a word score more. Teens and adults may see ads at natural breaks; Little Tide and kids' profiles never do.
Which mode should I start with?
If you have five minutes, the Daily Seven. If you want to play alongside other people, the live world. If you prefer puzzles on your own, Journey. For a child aged 3 to 6, Little Tide.
Do I need to download anything?
No. Every mode runs in the browser. You can add Wordtide to your home screen so it opens like an app, and the solo modes keep working offline once you have opened them.
Is my progress shared between modes?
Yes. Words in the world, the Daily Seven and Journey stars all feed the same level and badges. You start as a guest and can save your player with a passkey or a five-word recovery code.