Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions I get most often. Don't see yours? Get in touch.

Playing the game

Is Word Racer free?
Yes. Word Racer is free to play, solo or with friends. The site is supported by advertising and by donations from players, which help pay for the servers.
Do I need to create an account?
No. Pick a username on the home page and start playing. There's no sign-up and no password. Your username is saved in your browser so it's there next time. Please don't use your real full name or email address as your username, because it's shown to other players and on the leaderboard.
How do I play with friends?
On the home page, type a name under Create a group game and press Submit. You'll get a link to share. Anyone who opens it joins your game. Check Private room if you don't want your game listed in the public lobby. You can also join any public game listed under Join an active Word Racer game.
How is my score calculated?
Each word is worth 10 points plus 10 points per letter. Words of 7 or more letters earn an extra long-word bonus, and blue and red tiles double or triple the whole word. The How to Play page has the full breakdown with examples.
Why wasn't my word accepted?
There are usually four reasons: the word is shorter than 3 letters, two of its letters aren't touching on the grid, it reuses the same tile twice, or it isn't in the game's dictionary. The message under the grid tells you whether the word couldn't be traced on the grid ("not a valid entry") or isn't in the dictionary ("not a word"). If you think a real word is missing from the dictionary, please report it.
What dictionary does Word Racer use?
A list of nearly 200,000 English words, including plurals and other word forms. It leans toward the kinds of words allowed in classic word games, so short, unusual words like QAT, ZEE and ADZ count. Proper nouns generally aren't included.
How long is a game?
About ten minutes: four rounds of two minutes each, with a short break between rounds to check the scores.
Can I turn off the sound?
Yes. Use the sound checkbox in the game to mute or unmute sound effects.
How do high scores work?
The home page shows the Global Top 5, the highest scores from completed games by any player. Your own best scores are also saved in your browser. Global scores are listed by username, so choose one you're happy to have displayed publicly.
I got disconnected in the middle of a group game. Can I rejoin?
Not yet, unfortunately. Resuming a group game after a disconnect is on the list of upcoming features. You can see what's planned in the latest updates.

Devices and browsers

Can I play on my phone or tablet?
Word Racer works best on a computer with a physical keyboard, because the game is all about typing fast. It will load on phones and tablets, but the experience isn't optimized for small screens yet. A mobile version is in development.
Which browsers are supported?
Any recent version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge. If something looks broken, try refreshing the page, then file a bug report and include which browser you're using.

About the game

Is this the Word Racer from Yahoo! Games?
No. This is an independent remake inspired by the Word Racer game on Yahoo! Games. I rebuilt it from scratch because I missed playing it. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Yahoo. Read more on the About page.
How is Word Racer different from Boggle?
The core idea is the same: find words by chaining neighboring letters. Word Racer adds multiple grid shapes, double and triple bonus tiles, a long-word bonus, four timed rounds, and live multiplayer where you can watch everyone's scores climb.
Why are there ads?
Running game servers costs money every month. Ads let me keep Word Racer free for everyone. I try to keep them out of the way of gameplay. See the Privacy Policy for how advertising cookies are used and how to opt out of personalized ads.
How can I support Word Racer?
Share it with friends, subscribe to updates, send feedback, or make a donation toward server costs. All of it helps.