How to play Word King

Your first elimination round

1. Open Word King and choose Play to enter an elimination match.
2. When the round starts, everyone gets the same rack of nine letters and thirty seconds on the clock.
3. Tap the letters to spell a word, then submit it. Use each tile at most once in that word. A repeated letter needs a second matching tile.
4. Keep looking after submitting. You can replace your word with a longer valid word before the timer ends.
5. At the end of the round, the shortest submitted words are eliminated. Survive to play a fresh rack. The last player standing wins.

Length decides survival

Count letters, not rare-letter values. A six-letter word beats a five-letter word even if the shorter word contains a Q or Z. You do not have to use all nine tiles; a valid word can use any available subset, starting at two letters.

For example, with C A T E R I N G S you can make CAT, CATS and CATERING. CATS is longer than CAT, while CATERING uses eight of the tiles. This is an example rack, not today's challenge.

What happens in a tie?

Words tied for the shortest length are eliminated together when a longer word survives. If every surviving word has the same length, everyone survives that round.

Daily results also compare word length. Different words of the same length are tied. You do not need to find the exact same word as someone else to match their result.

Choose a mode

Elimination is the round-by-round competition. Daily is a solo attempt at a shared daily rack. Choose Daily when you want a short challenge you can play on your own.

Junior mode uses seven letters and a longer, sixty-second timer. Its progress is separate from regular play. You can choose Junior in Settings.

Questions about Word King

What is Word King?

Word King is a free competitive word game. A round gives every player the same nine letters and thirty seconds to build the longest word they can. The shortest surviving word is eliminated, and the last player standing wins.

How do you play Word King?

You get a rack of nine letters and thirty seconds. Spell the longest valid word you can find using those letters, then submit before the clock runs out. Survive each elimination and you move on to the next round with a fresh rack.

Is Word King free to play?

Yes. Word King is free in the browser and free on Android. There is nothing to buy to play a full match or the daily challenge.

Do I need to download anything to play?

No. Word King runs in your browser with no download and no account required. An Android app is also available on Google Play if you want it on your home screen.

What is the daily challenge?

The daily challenge is one shared rack for everyone that day, played solo. It is the quickest way into the game, it feeds the leaderboard, and playing it keeps your streak alive.

What happens if my word is the shortest?

The shortest words are eliminated at the end of each round. Words tied for shortest are eliminated together. If every surviving word has the same length, everyone survives.