18 words. 30 seconds each.
How many can you solve?
A new word challenge drops every day. Tap or type the letters into order before the clock hits zero. Same puzzle for everyone, everywhere.
Three taps to play.
Read the scramble
Letters shuffled out of order. Tap them on screen, or type on your keyboard — they light up as you go.
Beat the 30-second clock
Every word starts with a clean 30 seconds, then resets. Solve fast for the rush; run out and the word is simply revealed.
Play all 18
No game-over on a miss — you always get to see every word. Your score is how many of the 18 you unscramble.
Small enough for a break. Tough enough to earn a win.
- ⏱A countdown that lowers the pressure.
A fresh 30 seconds per word — resetting each time. Miss a word and it's revealed; the clock ends the word, not your run.
- 🌍Same puzzle, everyone, every day.
The daily set is identical for every player, so your x/18 is directly comparable with friends.
- 💬Friendly to second-language players.
Harder — and for many ESL players, that's the appeal: a daily vocabulary sharpener.
- 💡Three hints per run.
Stuck? Reveal a letter. Just enough rope to push further without making it easy.
- ⌨️Keyboard or touch.
Tap on mobile; type on desktop — letters highlight as you go.
- 📨Shareable results.
Finish and post your emoji grid to chat or socials in one tap.
Where do you land today?
Your score is the number of words you solved, out of 18. The result screen shows your daily percentile next to it:
| Solved | Daily rank shown |
|---|---|
| 18 / 18 | Top 1% |
| 17 / 18 | Top 2% |
| 16 / 18 | Top 3% |
| 15 / 18 | Top 5% |
| 12 – 14 | Top 10% |
| 10 – 11 | Top 20% |
| 8 – 9 | Top 50% |
A small, honest game.
Same daily, shareable, watercooler energy — with a 30-second clock that turns vocabulary into a sport.
No ads. No sign-up. No newsletter pop-up, no funnel into a paid product. One page, one game.
A small, crisp puzzle that engages the brain and ends on its own, instead of another endless feed.
Eighteen holes make a full round of golf. Eighteen words make a full round of this — long enough to matter, short enough to finish in a break.
Play smarter, not just faster.
- Hunt affixes first. Spot an ING, ED, ER, or UN and the rest of the letters often fall into place.
- Don't marry the layout. The given arrangement anchors your eyes — reshuffle mentally, like sliding Scrabble tiles on a rack.
- Sound it out. Permutations that sound like a word click faster than ones that only look right.
- Type, don't click. On desktop, keystrokes are faster than mouse taps.
- Spend hints late. Save them for the one word that would otherwise end a perfect run.
Frequently asked.
What is 18 Words?
A free daily word game. Each of the 18 scrambled words gets a fresh 30 seconds — unscramble it before the clock hits zero. You always play all 18; your score is how many you solved.
What happens if I run out of time?
The word is revealed and you move to the next. A miss never ends your game — you always attempt every word, final score x/18.
Do I get a fresh timer each word?
Yes. Every word starts with a clean 30 seconds — no borrowing, no banking. Each scramble is its own sprint.
Is the puzzle the same for everyone?
Yes. A new challenge drops every day at midnight, identical for every player.
Can I play on desktop?
Yes — and it's faster. Type the letters on your keyboard and they light up like tapping on mobile.
Can I replay old puzzles?
Yes. Open the Archive from the result screen and jump to any past day — each still plays once per day.