Every cell on the board is worth a different number of points depending on how rare and complex your chosen word is. The scoring system combines letter frequency, word length, and how hard the cell is to fill.
Rarity score
Each word is assigned a rarity score based on three components:
- Letter weights — each letter contributes a weight inversely proportional to how often it appears in English.
- Length bonus — longer words earn extra points.
- Unique letter bonus — words that use many different letters score higher.
The formula:
rarity = (sum of letter weights + length bonus + unique letter bonus) × 10
- Length bonus =
Math.max(0, word.length - 3) × 1.5
- Unique letter bonus =
unique letter count × 0.8
Letter weights
Each letter’s weight is calculated as:
weight = 1 + (1 / (frequency + 0.01)) * 8
frequency is the letter’s percentage occurrence in English text. The rarer the letter, the higher its weight.
| Letter | Frequency (%) | Weight |
|---|
| z | 0.07 | 101.00 |
| q | 0.10 | 73.73 |
| j | 0.15 | 51.00 |
| x | 0.15 | 51.00 |
| k | 0.77 | 11.26 |
| v | 0.98 | 9.08 |
| b | 1.49 | 6.33 |
| … | … | … |
| t | 9.06 | 1.88 |
| e | 12.70 | 1.63 |
e, t, a, o, i, n, s, h, r have weights between ~1.6 and ~2.3. Rare letters like q, z, x, j, k have weights of 11 or higher — with z reaching 101 and q reaching 73.
Example scores
| Word | Notes | Rarity score |
|---|
an | 2 common letters, very short | 58 |
the | 3 common letters | 82 |
cat | 3 letters, all common | 101 |
strength | 8 letters, common letters | 325 |
quickly | 7 letters, rare q and k | 1,145 |
quiz | 4 letters, q and z | 1,855 |
jazz | 4 letters, j and double z | 2,589 |
jazzy | 5 letters, j, z, and ends in y | 2,662 |
Scarcity multiplier
Some cells have very few valid words. To reward finding a word in a hard-to-fill cell, the score is multiplied by a candidate factor:
candidateFactor = Math.max(1, 6 / candidateCount)
candidateCount is the total number of words in the word list that satisfy both the row and column categories for that cell. If fewer than 6 valid words exist, the multiplier exceeds 1, boosting your score. Cells with many valid candidates cap the multiplier at 1.
Points per cell
The final points awarded for a cell are:
points = Math.max(10, Math.round(rarity))
points = Math.round(points * candidateFactor)
Completion bonus
When all 9 cells are filled, a +500 point completion bonus is added to your score.
max score = sum of 9 best word rarity scores + 500
Hard mode penalty
In Hard mode, each rejected guess (invalid word, category mismatch, or duplicate) deducts 50 points from your score. Your score can go negative.
Hard mode penalties apply even though the guess is rejected — the cell remains open and you can keep trying.
Tips for maximizing your score
The highest-scoring words combine multiple rare letters, long length, and many unique letters. A 7-letter word containing q, z, or j will almost always outscore a short common word — even after the scarcity multiplier is applied.
- Use rare letters. Words containing
q, z, x, j, or k contribute dramatically more weight per letter.
- Go long. Every letter beyond 3 adds 1.5 to the raw score before the ×10 multiplier. An 8-letter word beats a 4-letter word on length alone.
- Maximize unique letters. Each distinct letter adds 0.8 to the raw score. Avoid words with many repeated common letters.
- Fill hard cells first. A cell with few valid candidates will have a higher
candidateFactor, amplifying whatever word you choose.
- Complete the board. The +500 completion bonus is worth more than the difference between a mediocre and a good word in most cells. Finishing always pays.