How to play
- Type any five-letter word that fits every clue you have seen so far, and press Enter.
- Read the tiles the same way as any word game:
- Green: right letter, right spot.
- Yellow: the letter is in the word, in a different spot.
- Gray: the letter is not in the word.
- Survive six guesses without ever guessing the hidden word to win.
A counter shows how many allowed words still fit everything you know. Watch it: the game does not end just because you run out of guesses, it can also end the moment only one word is left.
Why avoiding a word is a different kind of hard
In the normal word game, every clue helps you close in on the answer. Here, every clue does the same thing, it narrows the list of words that still fit, except now that shrinking list is the danger. Because you must play a legal guess that fits every clue so far, you cannot simply refuse to guess the word once it becomes the only option left. If the answer is the last word still standing, the game is over whether you type it or not.
That flips the usual instinct. In the normal game, a guess that narrows the field is always good. Here, a guess that narrows the field too aggressively can back you into a corner where nothing is left but the answer.
Tips for reverse mode
Watch the counter, not just the tiles. The colors tell you what you have learned. The counter tells you how much danger you are in. A counter still in double digits gives you room to breathe.
Do not chase certainty. In the normal game you want fewer possible answers. Here, a guess that leaves several words still standing is often safer than one that narrows things down to two or three.
Use guesses that spread across the remaining words, not toward one of them. A guess that could be true for many of the words left is safer than one that tests a specific candidate, which risks confirming it as the answer.
Remember every guess must be legal. You cannot dodge a known clue. Plan a guess that fits everything so far and still avoids narrowing the field to one.
Play it safe on guess six. If you reach your last guess with more than one word still possible, any legal guess has a chance of being wrong, since one of the remaining words is the answer. Pick the guess least likely to be it, based on how the earlier clues formed.
Daily and unlimited
The Daily reverse puzzle uses the same hidden word for everyone today and counts toward your all-games streak. Unlimited deals a new hidden word every time you finish, with no effect on your streak.
More ways to play
- Five-letter daily if you would rather find the word than avoid it.
- Head-to-head duel to race a friend on the same hidden word.
- How to play for the shared rules behind every game on Tile Streak.