Word games online: 18 best word puzzle and word search games in 2023

Word games online are virtual board games designed for testing your language ability and can help you brush up your reading, spelling, and writing skills. They are broadly divided into two types– word puzzles and word search games. Word puzzle games generally involve figuring out a particular word, like in scrabble. In comparison, word search games involve finding a set of words.

In addition to developing your vocabulary, playing word games online can trigger cognitive development and promote strategic thinking and creativity. They are not only fun to play but require minimum effort and equipment.

In this article, we will discuss the 18 most popular word games to play online with your friends and family. So, without any further ado, let’s get started!

18 Best Free online word games

We all love to play games and if some valuable lessons accompany them, what’s better than it? World puzzle games like Scrabble help you in building strategy. How? In scrabble, you need to plan some words in advance. Although your opponent can block planned words, you can still try to build unique word combinations and play strategically the Double and Triple words.

Apart from Scrabble, there are other online word games that you can play that involve strategic thinking and improve your English learning and speaking skills. Here is a list of the 18 best word games that you can play online:

1. Wordmeister
2. Lexigo
3. Word Wipe
4. Word Zen
5. Skribbl.io
6. Wander words
7. Words with friends
8. Best Anagram Crossword
9. Daily Word Search
10. Wordscapes
11. Wheel of Fortune Toss-Up Challenge
12. Scramble Words
13. Codeword
14. Mini Crossword
15. Hangman
16. WordHub
17. Battle of Words
18. Fundox 

Wordmeister

Wordmeister is a word puzzle game like scrabble that you can play online for free. It is a single-player game and follows all the fundamental rules of the traditional scrabble game. You need to create words on the board to score points. Moreover, if you are stuck, you can use your turn to swap as many letters as you want for new ones! The game is played against the computer and is an excellent way to brush your skills.

Lexigo

Lexigo is a word search game that is somewhat similar to Boggle word board game. However, the critical difference is that in Lexigo, the letters are in a honeycomb pattern. To play, you need to search for the word from a set of letters, and if you are stuck, you can ask for a hint. There are unlimited hints available, and by the end of one round, a score sheet represents your total score, with the number of hints used and the time taken to play that round.

You play this word game online, against the computer. However, it can be more fun if you play the game alternatively with your friend and compare your scores!

Word Wipe

Word wipe is a word puzzle game where you are supposed to join the adjacent letter tiles with one another to create a unique word. It includes all horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zig-zag, and other connections throughout the grid. This game is exciting because you need to find words and clear columns and rows within a limited time. The faster you search the words, the more points you will earn.

Word Zen

Word Zen is almost like you’re playing Mahjong solitaire, where the goal is to clear tiles by matching two free tiles together but with a twist. Here, there are letter tiles in place of the traditional Mahjong tiles. Word Zen is a word puzzle game with over 100 challenging puzzles and 4 different levels. Like word wipe, you can play this game as a single-player and then compare your scores with friends and family.

Skribbl.io

Skribbl.io is an online word game that is ideal if you are looking for a game that challenges your creativity. This game is similar to Pictionary, where you need to describe a word by drawing it. The best part is – You can play it with players worldwide. Moreover, there is no need to log in or create an account. Your name is enough to enter this battle where you can embrace your hidden Picasso.

Wander Words

Isn’t the name exciting? The game certainly is! Here, you will click and drag to connect different letters, vertically or horizontally. It is a word puzzle game that is a mix between a word search and a jumble. Moreover, this online word game is time-bound. You need to trace a path through all the letters in each puzzle to find the word that fits the clue. When you open the game, it provides brief clues such as vehicles, food items, etc. Based on this, you will have to solve the puzzle within five minutes.

Words With Friends

Words With Friends boasts of a massive community of about 13 million active players every month. It is a new take on the traditional Scrabble game where every player starts with a board, spells the word, and passes the board to the other teammate. Word with Friends is a free-to-play online multiplayer word puzzle game.

Best Anagram Crossword

If you enjoy playing word games like Crossword type puzzles, but with a twist, Best Anagram Crossword is perfect for you. Here, you are offered a familiar crossword puzzle layout without the clues for every word. Instead, you are given the word that will be placed in the puzzle but jumbled. To solve this word game, you need to rearrange the clues into another word.

For example, the word ‘loop’ can be rearranged to ‘pool.’

Daily Word Search

Daily word search is a popular word search game where you look for a specific set of words. There is no timer. However, a clock keeps running so that you can see how much time you took to solve the puzzle by the end of the game. So, you are competing with yourself each day to do better. Also, as the name suggests, you can enjoy and challenge a different Word Search puzzle every day with a daily word search. The puzzle category is always a mystery, and each challenge is a surprise.

Wordscapes

This word game is more accessible to play on your desktop than on your smartphone. In Wordscapes, you have to search words in a grid. It sounds similar to other word search games, right? No, there is a difference. Wordscapes offers you weekly tournaments that you can consider participating in. We are sure you will be stumped to witness the hype.

Wheel of Fortune Toss-Up Challenge

Do you love watching game shows on TV? The Wheel of Fortune Toss-Up Challenge is an exciting game often played between friends which recreates the toss-up challenge. Here, only a single letter is revealed at a time, and once you think you can solve it, you need to select the letters to form a word. It is a time-bound game, and you need to find the word before all letters are revealed. To earn more points, you need to solve the puzzle fast.

Scramble Words

Scramble words is a type of word search game where you unscramble all letters to complete the crossword puzzle and form new words. The only difference here is that the numbers are placed in a row rather than a circle. Moreover, it is a time-bound game where you get less than 5 minutes to solve scramble words.

Codeword

Codewords are like crossword puzzles but have no clues! Interesting right? The codeword is a type of word search game where a number replaces every letter of the alphabet. So, if letter A represents number 2, for the entire puzzle, letter A will be represented by 2. The code number for a few letters is already revealed to get you started. With these letters filled in throughout the puzzle, you’ll have enough clues to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

Mini Crossword

Mini Crossword is a fun and engaging online word game. Short on time? Solve a Mini! Mini Crossword is a bite-sized crossword game where hints are posted every day on various topics. Where the regular crosswords can take hours to complete, the Mini Crossword is less time-consuming and more fun.

Hangman

Hangman is a classic word game to play online with friends or random players. You can also play as a single player in timed and untimed format. In this word search game, you need to complete the mystery word from the set of letters presented. You can choose from various themes like movies, characters, television shows, etc. Your sole purpose is to guess the letter that will solve the puzzle before the Hangman dies.

WordHub

To log in to WordHub, you can use the exact login details as used for Hangman. The catch is that you’re supposed to play against other players to win a match. There are generally three rounds. In the end, you get leader boards and achievements. Same as Boggle or Word Scrapes, WordHub is an exciting word game where you try to form different words with appropriate meanings using the same set of letters. In WordHub, the letters need not be next to one another in a particular sequence.

Battle of Words

Known as a multiplayer battle of words game, there are a number of players who come face to face in the battle of words. Here, you come up with tons of words within the given period. It is a crossword puzzle game, but you are given letters to fill in the grid instead of hints. Looking at the gameplay of this word game online, we can categorize it as a word puzzle game.

Fundox 

Fundox is an interesting multiplayer word game that combines Reversi, Scrabble, and Othello elements. Like Scrabble, Fundox offers a board layout. However, its objective is not to pile up points—it is mainly about claiming spaces on the board. Every time you create a word using the given letter, the word changes its color. When you reach the defined point total, the game ends.

So, there you have it! 18 best word games to play online in 2023. The list includes both easy and advanced-level games, so whether you’re just starting off or already a pro player, you can go ahead and try out these word games online. If you are looking for word puzzle games that can be played offline, here is an article you can refer to.

Word puzzle and search games online – FAQs