Pathwords FAQ

How do you play, in one minute?

A new board each local day. Letters sit on a grid. Trace a path through tiles that touch — including on the diagonal — until every listed word is found. No tile twice in the same word. Drag, tap, or type. No timer. No account. Classic is the 4×4 default; Mini is 3×3; Mega is 5×5.

How does scoring work?

Listed words pay two points per letter and are the only words that move your rank (Start → Good → Great → Awesome → Genius). Bonus words pay one point per letter, sit beside the rank, and count toward a fifth star once every listed word and every bonus word is in. Genius is 100% of the listed-word maximum. Speed Streak points are a third pot and also sit beside rank.

Do diagonals count?

Yes. From any tile you may step to any of its eight neighbours — sides and corners. That is the whole adjacency rule, together with “no tile twice in this word.” A path that jumps, reuses a tile, or leaves the board is rejected before the dictionary is consulted. Other products that share the Pathwords name do not all make that choice; this site does.

What’s the difference between listed words and bonus words?

Listed words are the sitting: required, two points a letter, move your rank, what hints point at. Bonus words are real, reachable leftovers: one point a letter, do not move rank, count toward the fifth star. One bonus word on the general boards is the Word of the Day. Everyday English tends to stay listed; proper names and obscure ENABLE leftovers tend toward bonus. Kids boards omit the Word of the Day.

Can I play yesterday’s board? Is the archive free?

Yes, and yes — all of it. Past Mini, Classic, and Mega boards live in the archive. Archive puzzles are streak-neutral and each has its own hint pool. Opening an old day does not spend or extend today’s streak. There is no paywall on past days.

Does it work with a keyboard?

Yes. Typing is a first-class way in, not a desktop leftover. Type the word; if those letters form an eight-way path on the board, the tiles light up. Arrow keys move a cursor, space adds the letter under the cursor, Enter submits, Backspace steps back, Escape clears. Drag and tap run the same rules on a phone.

What’s “Play Another” vs the archive?

On the web at pathwords.co, more play after today’s board means switching Mini / Classic / Mega for the same day, or opening a past official day from the archive. The completion sheet’s “Play Mini / Classic / Mega” button is that mode switch — not an unlimited random generator.

On the iOS app Pathwords Puzzle (a separate property), Play Another Puzzle can load a locally generated board in the same mode. That is app behaviour, not the web archive. Free play on the app may show a rewarded video for a new puzzle; the web does not sell a Premium tier for unlimited random boards.

What are the two different “streaks”?

Calendar streak: finish today’s official board (for that mode) on the day it is official. Miss a day and one automatic freeze applies per calendar month; a second miss in the same month breaks it. Shown on Stats. Archive play does not touch it.

Speed Streak: find three words in a row inside five seconds each and a short ×2 multiplier lights up. Optional pace on an otherwise untimed board. Speed points do not change Genius. Putting the fire out never takes back points already banked.

What’s the difference between Mini, Classic, and Mega?

Kids is a Settings toggle (easier Classic or Mini lexicon, own streaks, no Word of the Day), not a fourth size and not a separate site. Mega is not filtered by that toggle.

Does it work offline?

Mostly for boards you have already fetched. The app loads the day you opened plus a short lookahead, so a later visit can still play those files without a connection. The shell is meant to stay usable as a progressive web app. A brand-new day you have never opened still needs a fetch once. Progress stays in the browser either way.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no Pathwords login on the web. Found words, scores, settings, streaks, and hint counts live in this browser (IndexedDB when available). Clearing site data erases them. A new phone or a second browser is a fresh save. Sync across devices would want an account; this site stays small and local on purpose.

How do hints work?

Three free hints per puzzle per mode — archive days included, each with their own pool. A hint draws an arrow across the first three letters of a listed word you have not found; it clears when you start a path. Hints never point at bonus words. If the three are gone and a listed word is still missing, the web can offer a house video for two more.

Why do I keep finding other “Pathwords” games?

The name is crowded. This site is pathwords.co, published as Pathwords: daily letter-path, diagonals allowed, you find the words.

It is not ThinkFun PathWords / PathWords Jr (discontinued physical packing puzzle), not pathwords.co.uk (you are given the words and place them on a 5×5), and not Pathwords App by Richard Arnold. Autocomplete sometimes also mixes in unrelated “Pathward” or promo-code noise. If the URL is pathwords.co, you are in the right place.

Is the iOS “Pathwords Puzzle” the same as the website?

Same publisher (Pathwords), related puzzle, different property. The web game is pathwords.co: free archive, no account, house-video hint extras, mode switch / archive for more play. The iOS app Pathwords Puzzle has its own store listing, its own privacy document at /app-privacy (unlisted), and features such as Play Another Puzzle that are not the web archive. This FAQ does not invent a web Premium tier; if you need the app’s ad or purchase details, use the app privacy page.

What is letter-count assist?

A Settings toggle (on by default). From 40% of the board’s listed points, each tile can show how many unfound listed words still start on that tile. Digits do not appear before that unlock. Letters that no remaining listed word can use fade separately, from your first find onward, whether assist is on or off.

Does rotating the board change the puzzle?

No. Rotation is visual only — a fresh angle on the same letters. Paths, scoring, and hints follow the same graph.

Is this Wordle? Or a word search?

Neither. Wordle asks you to guess a hidden word; here the letters are already on the board and you trace paths. A classic word search hides printed answers in straight lines; here you build words on an eight-way path, and the official list is a checklist of paths, not a highlighter hunt.

Is Pathwords a good mental warm-up?

It can be, in the everyday sense: a short, untimed letter-path sitting before the day gets loud. Open Mini, Classic, or Mega, find a few paths, then close the puzzle. That is engagement with a finite board — not a medical warm-up protocol. We do not claim clinical benefits from a morning play.

Is Pathwords a brain-training app?

No. Pathwords is a daily letter-path word puzzle. Some people file word puzzles under “brain games.” Brain-training apps, as a marketing category, often present cognitive programs and outcome language. Pathwords does not claim to train your brain, raise IQ, or deliver medical or performance guarantees. It is also not ThinkFun’s Brain Fitness PathWords, the physical tile-and-grid game.

Should I feel guilty if I break a streak?

No. One automatic freeze per calendar month covers a single miss; archive play is streak-neutral. Soft habit means showing up when you want to, not treating a counter as homework. Miss days when life is loud. Return via today’s board or the free archive. Nothing here is designed to scold you into a session.

Does Pathwords make medical or cognitive claims?

No. We do not say Pathwords prevents, treats, cures, or delays any condition. We do not claim IQ changes, clinically proven results, or guaranteed job/school performance. Scoring (two points a letter on listed words, Genius at 100% listed) is puzzle feedback. Enjoyment and engagement are the honest pitch.

Can a letter-path puzzle help me focus?

In the ordinary sense: yes — focus as attention on the path. Reading letters, holding a trail, and choosing the next tile is concrete board engagement. Untimed play lets that attention stay calm rather than panicked. That is not clinical attention training and not a substitute for professional care if you need it. It is a friendly place to put your eyes for a few minutes.

Who do I contact?

Pathwords is published at pathwords.co. Privacy or corrections: privacy@pathwords.co. Policy: /privacy. Rules: /how-to-play. Product: /about. Notes: /journal.