Wordgrid has three difficulty levels. All three modes reject invalid guesses — the difference is what happens to your score and your cells when you make a mistake.
Overview
Invalid guesses are rejected with an alert message. No points are deducted. You can try as many times as you like with no consequences beyond the guess count going up.Rejection conditions:
- Word is not in the word list
- Word does not satisfy both the row and column category
- Word is already used in another cell
Score cannot go negative in Normal mode. The same rejection rules apply as Normal, but every rejected guess costs you 50 points. The penalty is shown in the alert message. Your score can go below zero.Rejection conditions (each costs −50 points):
- Word is not in the word list
- Word does not satisfy both the row and column category
- Word is already used in another cell
The cell stays open after a penalty — you can keep guessing. Any incorrect guess permanently eliminates the cell. There are no second chances.Elimination triggers:
- Word is not in the word list
- Word does not satisfy both the row and column category
- Word is already used in another cell
An eliminated cell is shown with a ban icon and scores 0 points. It cannot be recovered. Comparison
| Normal | Hard | Expert |
|---|
| Penalty per rejected guess | None | −50 points | Cell eliminated (0 pts) |
| Score can go negative | No | Yes | No |
| Cell recoverable after bad guess | Yes | Yes | No |
| Invalid word rejected | Yes | Yes | Yes (+ eliminates cell) |
| Category mismatch rejected | Yes | Yes | Yes (+ eliminates cell) |
| Duplicate rejected | Yes | Yes | Yes (+ eliminates cell) |
Changing difficulty
Open Settings
Click the gear icon in the dock at the bottom of the page to open the Settings modal.
Select a difficulty
Click one of the difficulty option buttons: Normal, Hard, or Expert. The currently active difficulty is highlighted.
Confirm the reset
A confirmation dialog will appear. Confirm to apply the new difficulty and reset the board.
Changing the difficulty resets the board. All revealed cells, scores, and guesses for the current board are cleared. The board categories and layout remain the same, but your progress is lost.
localStorage under the key wordgrid:difficulty and persists across sessions.
Expert mode
In Expert mode, a single wrong guess permanently eliminates a cell. Once a cell is eliminated it shows a ban icon and contributes 0 points — there is no way to undo this.
- A word in the word list
- A word that satisfies both the row and column category
- A word not already used in another cell on the board
Failing any of these conditions immediately eliminates the cell. Because elimination is permanent and silent (the game does not preview candidates), it is recommended to think carefully before guessing in Expert mode.
Eliminated cells still count toward revealing all 9 cells. The +500 completion bonus is still awarded when all 9 cells are revealed — including eliminated ones.