Frequently Asked Questions

How do I play?

When you start a game, Word Sweeper displays a grid of letters, called a "board". A board contains words hidden among random letters. Length and difficulty of these words will depend on the level. Your objective is to find these words.

Word Sweeper will list some of the words hidden in the board on a on top of the board. You need to discover all of these words in order to complete the level. In addition, a board will often contain additional words that will not be hinted. Discovering these words will improve your score for the level and, for longer words, reward coins or other items.

To play, first select the first letter of a word by tapping on it. Keeping your finger on the screen, drag across the remaining letters in order and release to confirm your selection. You can only choose a letter that is adjacent to the previous letter. In a given  board, a word can be spelled horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

After you confirm your selection, Word Sweeper will replace the selected letters with new ones. If your selection does not spell a valid word, it will be cancelled and the letters will return to the board.

What are the game modes?

Word Sweeper features an adventure trail, a multiplayer mode and customized boards.

• The adventure trail is comprised of chapters, each of which has several levels that are meant to be completed in succession. Completion of a level may unlock one or more levels, which drives progress on the trail.

• Multiplayer mode will be available once sufficient progress into the adventure trail is made. When playing against opponents, the player will be presented with a shared board and needs to find the requested words competitively. Word Sweeper will keep track of who finds each word. Note that players are limited on time when taking turns in the multiplayer mode.

• Customized boards will be available further down the adventure trail and will be generated by launching custom level presets. These boards are designed to be played indefinitely to exercise the player's vocabulary.

How do I start a game on the adventure trail?

The adventure trail is a list of levels that are played in succession.

To play the next level on the adventure trail, simply click on the green button, labeled with the name of the current level. If the button is white, Word Sweeper needs you to unlock the next level. If multiple levels are available, you can skip ahead and play others by clicking on the "all levels" button. You can use this button also to return to earlier levels for better score or  additional rewards.

How do I start a game in multiplayer mode?

The multiplayer mode is essentially a single shared game session that is played against other players.

To host or join a multiplayer session, click on the "multiplayer" button in the main menu. Word Sweeper will discover sessions already available on the same Wi-Fi network or start a new one if none can be found.

To play against your friends, launch the multiplayer mode on your device and wait until it reports no games are found and that it is starting a new one. At that point, have your friends launch the multiplayer mode on their devices to discover your game.

How do I practice with a customized board?

Customized boards are generated by preset levels according to certain rules. These are available once the entire adventure trail is completed.

To play a customized board, enter the list of levels by clicking on the "all levels" button in the main menu. Then, select the appropriate preset level to generate a customized game.

How do I select a player name?

Word Sweeper will greet you with a default name when you first start it. To select a name for yourself, click on the greeting or the "⚙" button.

How do I use the dictionary?

Word Sweeper will display the definition of any word you discover on top of the list of words for the current game. In addition, you can click on a word to re-display its definition. Definitions are always fetched in the language of your device.

Click on the "⚙" button to turn the dictionary on or off.

Note that you might need an active Internet connection for this feature.

What if I leave a game before completing it?

Word Sweeper can remember your past games. However, not all games are set up to be remembered. Some of these are:

• Levels in the adventure trail that always generate rewards

• Levels other than the next level on the adventure trail

• Preset levels that generate customized boards

If you return to a game after exiting it, your progress in that level is restored. If it was not saved, you will be presented with a brand new game instead.

How do I earn and spend coins?

Word Sweeper will reward you with coins for certain achievements. Some of these are:

• Completion of a game

• Discovery of a bonus word

• Finishing a multiplayer session among the top players

• Playing Word Sweeper on consecutive days

Note that completion of a game may generate reward once or every time you play it. Games that always generate rewards are indicated in the adventure trail with their rewards after they are completed for the first time.

Coins can be spent to unlock levels in the adventure trail. Locked levels are indicated with their prices. If a locked level cannot be afforded, it will also be disabled.

Coins can also be spent to purchase tools and gems in the store. You can click on the name of a level to unlock it or the "+" button next to the coin bar to enter the store. In the store, click on the "purchase" button below any item you can afford to purchase it.

If you find yourself short on coins and do not want to play to earn more, you can always opt to watch ads instead. Click on the "+" button next to the coin bar in the store to enter the theater. In the theater, click on the "watch" button to start playing an ad.

How do I purchase and use tools?

Word Sweeper will reward you with tools for certain achievements. These are generally the same as the ones for coins.

Tools can be used to ask Word Sweeper to hint to the location of hidden words in the board, as well as modify the board randomly to generate words that may reward larger bonuses. To use a tool during a game, click on its button below the board.

How do I acquire and use gems?

Word Sweeper will reward you with gems for certain achievements. These are generally the same as the ones for coins.

Like coins, gems can also be spent to unlock levels in the adventure trail.

If you find yourself short on certain gems and do not want to play to earn more, you can purchase them in the store. Click on the "+" button next to the coin bar to enter the store.

If you find yourself stocking gems of a certain kind and requiring others, you can upgrade your gems to produce higher level gems. Click on the "+" button next to the gem bar to enter the workshop. In the workshop, click on the "upgrade" button to upgrade your gems. Note that you need sufficient supply of a certain type of gem before you can produce higher level gems.

What language is Word Sweeper in?

Word Sweeper features growing support for different languages in its user interface. It will be displayed in the language of your device, if supported.

Note that the words hidden in the boards are taken from a British English corpus.