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Wordle takes about three minutes. Then you have the whole rest of the day, and the next puzzle is 24 hours away. If that gap bothers you, this list is for you: word games that scratch the same itch, either as more daily puzzles or as games you can play as long as you like.
I split them into three groups. Daily puzzles from the New York Times and Wordle-style spinoffs, word games you can play without a daily limit, and head-to-head games for when you want to beat a friend. For every game I checked the price model on the App Store and Google Play in October 2026, including which parts are free and which sit behind a subscription.
At the end there is a simple 15-minute daily routine that mixes the best of them, so you get variety without opening seven apps.
What makes a good Wordle alternative
Wordle works because of three things: one puzzle a day, a result you can share without spoiling it, and rules you learn in thirty seconds. The best alternatives keep at least two of those.
The games that fail usually do it with monetization. A lot of “Wordle clones” in the app stores are unofficial copies with an ad after every guess and a coin system for hints. I left those out. Everything below is either from a known developer or an official website, and I say where the ads are.
One more practical point: some of these are websites, not apps. That is fine. A website saved to your home screen works almost like an app, and it means no download and no account.
The New York Times daily puzzles
All of these live in the free NYT Games app, and most can also be played in a phone browser at nytimes.com. In October 2026, Wordle, Connections, Strands, Pips and Sudoku are free. Spelling Bee has limited free access, and the full Crossword, the Mini Crossword and the puzzle archive require a Games subscription. That subscription runs around $6 to $7 a month in the US, with a cheaper annual plan, and the app often offers an introductory price. I’d only pay if you want the Crossword or the archive.
Wordle
You know the rules: six tries to guess a five-letter word, with green, yellow and gray tiles. The app version adds a stats screen and, for subscribers, WordleBot, which analyzes your guesses and tells you how lucky or skilled you were.
Tip: turn on Hard Mode in the settings (gear icon). It forces you to reuse every hint you find, which makes the game feel new again if you have been playing since 2022.
Connections
Connections gives you 16 words and asks you to sort them into four groups of four. One group is easy, one is tricky, and the purple group is usually a pun or hidden pattern. You can make four mistakes.
It is the best Wordle follow-up for people who like trivia and lateral thinking. The weak part is that some categories rely on American pop culture or sports, which can feel unfair if you are not from the US.
Tip: find the purple group first. Look for words that share hidden letters, can precede the same word, or sound like something else. Once that group is gone, the rest is much easier.
Spelling Bee and Strands
Spelling Bee gives you seven letters in a honeycomb and asks you to build as many words as you can, each using the center letter. Reaching “Genius” can take a full day of coming back to it. Free players get limited access; the full game is part of the subscription.
Strands is a word search with a theme. You find words that fit a hidden theme, plus one “spangram” that spans the whole board and names it. It is free and takes five to ten minutes.
If you like the logic side of these more than the words, our list of the best puzzle games for adults covers games like Baba Is You and Monument Valley.
Wordle spinoffs you can play in a browser
Quordle
Quordle is Wordle times four. You guess four five-letter words at once with nine tries, and every guess lands on all four boards. It is now run by Merriam-Webster and is free in the browser, with ads. There is also a practice mode and a harder Sequence mode, where you must solve the boards in order.
It is for people who find Wordle too easy. The weak part is that there is no official app; you play at merriam-webster.com/games/quordle, and the ads on the page can be heavy on a phone.
Tip: open with two guesses that share no letters (for example, SLATE then CORNY). That covers ten common letters and gives you information on all four boards before you commit.
Waffle
Waffle shows you a grid of six interlocking words with all the letters already in place, just scrambled. You have 15 swaps to fix the grid, and the fewer swaps you use, the more stars you get. It is a calmer puzzle than Wordle because you can see every letter from the start.
It is free at wafflegame.net and in the official iPhone app, which adds an archive and a paid Deluxe tier. I could not find an official Waffle app on Google Play; the Android listings I found are from other developers, so Android players should use the website.
Tip: solve the corners first. Corner letters belong to two words at once, so placing them correctly locks in a lot of the board.
Word games without a daily limit
Knotwords
Knotwords is from Zach Gage, who also made SpellTower and Typeshift. The board is split into sections, each with a set of letters. You must arrange the letters so every row and column forms a valid word. It is like a tiny crossword without clues, and it gets surprisingly deep.
It is for crossword and Sudoku fans. The good part is a free daily puzzle and an elegant, ad-free design. The weak part is the pricing. The App Store listed a one-time Full Game purchase at $11.99 and a Pro subscription at $4.99 when I checked, which is confusing for a word game. The daily puzzles are free, so start there.
Tip: begin with the smallest sections. A two-letter section often has only one valid answer, and it constrains everything around it.
Typeshift
Typeshift, also by Zach Gage, shows columns of letters you slide up and down. Every time a row spells a word, those letters light up. The goal is to light up every letter on the board. Free daily puzzles come with ads; paid packs and an ad-free purchase are available.
It is for people who like anagrams. The weak part is that it has not had a big update in a while, and the free version shows ads between puzzles.
Tip: look for rare letters (Q, Z, X, J) first. They fit in very few words, so they tell you which column positions you need.
Squaredle
Squaredle is Boggle meets daily puzzle. You get a grid of letters (a 4×4 main puzzle and a smaller Express one) and swipe through adjacent letters to find every hidden word. It is free in the browser at squaredle.app, with an optional paid membership called Squaredle Squared for extras.
It is for people who want something longer than Wordle but still daily. The good part is the “bonus words” system, which rewards obscure vocabulary without requiring it. The weak part is that the app stores have several look-alike “Squaredle” apps from other publishers, and I could not confirm which one, if any, is official. I’d stick to the website.
Tip: work from the corners. Corner letters have only three neighbors, so the words that use them are easier to spot, and finding them often completes the required list.
Wordscapes
Wordscapes is the most downloaded game of this group. You get a wheel of letters and a crossword grid, and you swipe letters to fill the grid. There are thousands of levels and daily puzzles.
It is for people who want an endless, relaxing word game. The good part is the volume and the gentle difficulty curve. The weak part is the business model: it is free with ads and in-app purchases, and the ads after levels get frequent. If ads bother you, look for the remove-ads purchase in the shop.
Tip: when stuck, shuffle the wheel instead of buying a hint. Seeing letters in a new order is often enough to spot the missing word.
Bonza Word Puzzle
Bonza mixes a crossword with a jigsaw. Each puzzle has a theme, and the words are cut into fragments you drag together until they fit. It is free with ads and in-app purchases, and it has a daily puzzle.
It is for people who want something more visual. The weak part is that the pace is slow, and some themes are easy to guess from the first fragment.
Tip: find the longest fragment first and try to attach it to others. Long pieces only fit in a few places.
Word games to play against friends
NYT Crossplay
Crossplay launched in January 2026 as the New York Times’ first two-player game. It plays like Scrabble: you take turns building words on a shared board and score points based on letters and placement. You can play friends, random opponents with skill-based matchmaking, or a computer opponent. It is a separate app, free to download, with ads and optional purchases.
It is the closest thing today to the old Letterpress feeling: short, clean, competitive word battles. The weak part is that the board and letter values differ slightly from classic Scrabble, which trips up longtime players.
Tip: hold on to an S. It lets you extend an opponent’s word and score both words at once.
Words With Friends
Words With Friends has been around since 2009 and is still the default Scrabble-style game for many families. Games are asynchronous, so you can have several running with different people. It is free with ads and in-app purchases.
It is for people whose friends and relatives already play it. The weak part is the clutter: the app pushes events, power-ups and offers. I prefer Crossplay or Wordfeud for a cleaner experience.
Wordfeud
Wordfeud is the minimalist alternative: a classic Scrabble-style board, random opponents or friends, and up to 30 games at once. It is free with ads, and a one-time upgrade (listed at $5.99 on the App Store when I checked) removes them and adds statistics.
It is for competitive players who want a simple board without events. The weak part is the dated look.
If you want more games to play with other people, including party games and team games, see our guide to the best co-op mobile games to play with friends.
A 15-minute daily word routine
Here is a routine that mixes the games above. It takes about 15 minutes and costs nothing.
- Wordle first, while you drink your coffee. Three minutes.
- Connections next. Give yourself a strict limit: if you have made three mistakes, stop and come back after lunch.
- Waffle or Squaredle Express, depending on mood. Waffle when you want calm, Squaredle when you want speed.
- One move in an ongoing Crossplay game with a friend.
On weekends, swap Waffle for a Quordle session or the Knotwords daily, which takes longer. If you play in the browser, save each game to your home screen. On iPhone, open the page in Safari, tap the Share button and choose Add to Home Screen. On Android, open it in Chrome, tap the three-dot menu and choose Add to home screen (the wording changes a little between Android versions).
Many of these games work without signal once loaded, which is handy on the subway. Our list of the best offline mobile games has more options for when you have no connection.
Questions about word games like Wordle
Is Wordle still free?
Yes. In October 2026, Wordle is free in the NYT Games app and on nytimes.com. You need a free NYT account to save stats across devices. WordleBot, the guess analyzer, is for subscribers.
Can I play old Wordle puzzles?
The official archive is part of the NYT Games subscription. Some third-party sites copy past puzzles, but they are unofficial and often loaded with ads.
What is the best Wordle alternative for kids?
Wordscapes and Bonza have gentler vocabulary and no time pressure, but both have ads, so check the settings and consider the remove-ads purchase. For younger kids, play together.
Which one I’d pick
If you only add one game to your Wordle habit, make it Connections. It is free, it is in the same app, and it uses a different part of your brain.
If you want something without a daily limit, start the free Knotwords daily and see if it hooks you before paying. And if you want to play against people, get Crossplay; it is free, clean, and your friends are probably already on it.
