How to play Spellosion
Spellosion is a free word game for two players, or one player against the computer. It combines three ideas: building words on a shared board, cracking one hidden four-letter word, and chain-reaction explosions that steal squares.
The goal
Score more points than your opponent by building words, and try to be the first to guess the one secret four-letter word you are both hunting. A correct guess wins the game instantly. At the end, your total is your word points plus one point for every square you own.
Starting a game
- Pick a theme. The secret word comes from the theme you choose: Classic, Halloween, Grocery List, Animals, Sports, Outer Space, Movies, Music, or Cartoons.
- Play the computer (Easy, Normal or Hard), play a friend online, or pass and play on one device.
1. Build words
- Tap a letter in your rack, then tap an empty square. Place several tiles in one row or column, then tap Play Word.
- The first word must cover the ★ in the center. Every later word must connect to tiles already on the board.
- Every word you form, including shorter words you cross, must be in the dictionary (more than 111,000 words). You see a live check and score as you place tiles.
- Scoring: each tile has a point value (common letters 1, harder letters more, Q and Z worth 10). Words of five or more letters earn a +5 bonus, and using all seven tiles in one turn earns +20.
- Your rack is balanced so you always get a healthy mix of vowels and consonants.
2. Find the secret word
You and your opponent hunt the same hidden four-letter word from the theme. Whenever you play a four-letter word, its tiles turn color on your board only:
- Green means the letter is perfectly placed.
- Yellow means it belongs in the word but in a different position.
- Gray means it is not used at all.
An A to Z tracker and a possible-words counter keep your clues organized. Each green tile earns you one ⚡ token. Spend a token on a probe: type any four-letter word and see its green, yellow and gray pattern privately. A probe doesn't use one of your guesses, but it uses your whole turn, and if it turns out to be the secret word, you win on the spot. Your token count is private. When you think you know the word, tap Guess Secret. You get three guesses. The first correct guess wins. If nobody finds it, the word is revealed at the end.
3. Explosions
Every square is a cup with slots for orbs (● filled, ○ empty). Corner squares have 2 slots, edge squares 3, middle squares 4. Every new tile you place gets an orb, and every square you already own that touches your new tiles gets one more (once per turn), so building next to your own tiles charges them up. When every slot is full the square pops: it gives one orb to each neighboring square and turns those squares your color, which can chain, including your opponent's squares.
Stuck? Ending the game
- Swap Rack trades your whole rack and ends your turn (3 swaps each per game). Pass ends your turn. Four passes in a row end the game.
- The bag holds 60 tiles. The game also ends when a player runs out of tiles after the bag is empty, when nobody can make another word, or when someone guesses the secret word.
Playing online
Tap Play a friend online and Create a game. Send your friend the invite link or the five-letter code. If your connection drops, the game reconnects automatically, and your game is saved in your browser so a refresh can resume it. If the connection will not start, try the same Wi-Fi network, or use Connect manually.
Tips
- Play four-letter words early. Each one gives you free clues about the secret word.
- Save probes for when the possible-words counter stalls.
- Use the possible-words counter. With only three guesses, wait until it is down to two or three words before you guess, or spend a probe to find out more.
- Corner squares pop easily because they have only two slots.
- Use swaps wisely: you only get three.
- Words that cross existing tiles score extra, because every word you form counts.
Questions
Is it free? Yes. There are no accounts and nothing to buy. Does it work on phones? Yes, on phones, tablets and computers. Why was my word rejected? It is not in the built-in dictionary. Colorblind? Use the Colorblind colors link at the bottom of any page. It switches green and yellow to orange and blue everywhere, and the tiles also carry ✓, ? and ✗ marks.