Best word games to play with friends

If you want to enhance your writing skill, it is high time to skip all typical writing books and podcasts and play some word games instead. Word games are great ways to elaborate your vocabulary, enjoy a story and have a lot of fun writing.

Word games are the best way to:

• Develop vocabulary
• Be proficient in English like natives
• Helps you to think more enormously about words
• Find and develop new letters and so on.

Following is a list of 7 best word games to play with friends:

1. Scrabble

Scrabble, the quintessential crossword game, is definitely fun for family and friends. Once your letters are racked you may get excited, pick a good word and go down to a triple word score. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, play the popular Scrabble game excellently with your opponent to have a challenging and fun time.

Scrabble is the ultimate crossword game that counts each letter. Grab your friends and shape the words on the board. After playing your part, calculate the value of all the letters in each new word that you form.

Scrabble is one of the best word games to play with friends, played with letter tiles on a board marked with various squares. Here some squares give extra points. Characters have different point values ​​depending on how common they are. Scrabble’s end result looks like a crossword as many words overlap each other. There are tools like scrabble word finder, which you can use to unscramble words. Additionally, sites like Unscrambled Words provide lists of strategic 2 letter and 3 letter words that will come in use during the game. Learning these words can significantly elevate your Scrabble skills.

Scrabble is an elevated game to play if you want to expand your vocabulary (especially for two letter words). It is worthy for kids too, especially in the “junior” versions.

2. Boggle

Although Scrabble is a kind of crossword game, Boggle is actually a word search game, and if you’re looking for an alternative game that is as fast and fun as Scrabble, this is the cool word games to choose.

It involves critical thinking and concentration. Boggle has long been a family favorite because it is portable and easy to play. The common postulate is quite straightforward – they consist of squares with letters, you can move them, rotate the timer‌ and the player who will find most of the words in 3 minutes wins the game!

Boggle is the perfect game to play if you do not stop after a round. It is also ideal for young players to develop their vocabulary.

3. Dabble

Here you have to compete with other players and have to create five words of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 letters using your 20 tiles to get the first place. Dabble is family friendly. It is easy to understand and play but coming up with words can be a lot more challenging than you might think.

If you enjoy Boggle or Scrabble, you can enjoy dabble as well. This is a considerable way to develop spelling and vocabulary and enjoy words.

4. Tapple

Tapple‌ has a wheel that contains many letters of the alphabet and several subject cards containing 144 different categories. There are many ways you can play it – the basic rules are that each player must think within 10 seconds of such a word that matches the topic, but that word would not start with the initial letter used before.

Although it may seem a bit challenging or frustrating for young children due to its short duration, it is a great game for older kids who want to expand their vocabulary. All the categorizations are suitable for children.

5. Quiddler

Quiddler is the best educational word game suitable for those looking for board games like Scrabble. One great thing about Quiddler is that it can hold up to 10 players, so for those who are very large in the group it is a great option to play Quiddler.

The goal of the game is very straightforward – each player receives a card with letters written on it, and the goal is to make as many words as possible from the cards you have. Each card has its own point value and the one with the most points at the end of the game wins. Quiddler allows words with 2 letters, however, all words must be considered valid in the dictionary.

6. Bananagrams

If you are looking for an amusing word game, Bananagrams is a great choice for you. This simple and fun game is a great way to play a word game like Scrabble – especially if you are on the go.

The Bananagram game contains 144 tiles engraved with letters (such as scrabble tiles) that come in a banana-shaped cloth bag. The game can hold 2-8 players and the number of tiles available to each player depends on the number of people playing. Each player starts by facing his / her tiles and the first player to use his / her tiles to create real words (which should be found in the dictionary) wins the match.

Bananagram is a great game to bring with you wherever you are, especially if you are really into word games.

7. Wordical

Wordical outlines itself as the dice-rolling, radical, word-building race and if you are looking for a fast and exciting word game like Boggle or Scrabble, this would be the best word games to play with friends for you.

Wordical is great for 2-8 players at a time, and the game introduction is effortless. Each player will get a certain number of cards constants enumerated in them and at each turn, players roll the dice with vowels and make as many words as possible using vowels and consonants of their cards.

The game is great for family game nights, especially if you are trying to learn new vocabulary words, and boosts creative thinking. Overall, this platform is one of the best and enjoyable word games.

These games narrated above are the best word games to play with friends. By playing these games is an eminent way to spend time with kith and kin, be it a gathering at home or a party at a friend’s house. This competitive word game makes any event more synergetic, fun, and exciting.

If you want to improve your writing, maybe it’s time to ditch all the writing books and podcasts and play some word games instead.

Yes, seriously! Word games and writing games are great ways to develop your vocabulary, to help you think more deeply about words, to have fun with story and structure, and to get a lot of fun out of writing.

But games can be a great way to:

• Develop your vocabulary
• Help you think more deeply about words
• Become more fluent in English (if it’s a foreign language for you)
• Invent and develop characters

… and much more.

After the list of 50 writing games, I’ve given you a top ten that I think are particularly great for kids who want to practice their writing skills. Many of the other games are suitable for children, too, so by all means try out other games as a family if you want to.

Of course, there are loads of online games (and quizzes and tools) that you can use to improve your writing skills, and I will be talking about some of the best of those. But there are also lots of tried-and-tested classic games that you can play with pen and paper, or using cards and dice … and we’ll be taking a look at those first.

5 Pen and Paper Word Games

I’ll start with the simplest games: pen and paper ones that you can play pretty much anywhere, so long as you have a pen.

All of these are suitable for children, and some (like crosswords) are enjoyed by many adults too.

#1: Hangman (2+ players)

Hangman is a classic word game for two players. One player thinks of a word and writes down dashes to represent the number of letters. The other guesses letters of the alphabet. Correct letters are inserted into the word; incorrect letters result in another segment of the “hangman” being drawn.

This is a great game for developing spelling and vocabulary. If you’re playing it with small children, you can do it without the perhaps rather unpleasant “hangman” element, and just count how many guesses each player takes!

#2: Crosswords (1 player)

A crossword is a grid of white and black squares, where each white square is one letter of a word. The words intersect. You can find crosswords in many newspapers and magazines (on all sorts of subjects), and you can buy booklets and books full of them. Some crosswords are “cryptic”: great if you like brainteasers. Others have more straightforward clues.

Crosswords are great if you want to learn new words and definitions, or (at the cryptic end of the scale) if you enjoy playing with words and language. Simple ones are suitable for fairly young children, with a little help.

#3: Word searches (1 player)

A word search has a grid (often 10×10 or more) filled with letters, and a number of words written alongside or beneath the grid. The person completing the word search needs to find those words within the grid.

Most word searches are easy enough for children, though younger children will struggle with backward and diagonal words. They’re a good way to get used to letter patterns and to improve spelling – and because word searches rely on matching letters, even children who can’t read well will be able to complete simple ones.

#4: Consequences (2+ players, ideally 4+)

This is a fun game with a group of people, as you get a wild and wacky mix of ideas. Each player writes down one line of a story and folds the paper over before passing it around the table to the next player. The very simple version we play has five lines: (1) A male name, (2) The word “met” then a female name, (3) “He said …” (4) “She said …” (5) “And then …”

Once all five stages are complete, the players open out the papers and read out the results. This can be great for sparking ideas, or as a way to encourage reluctant writers to have a go.

#5: Bulls and Cows (2 players)

This game, which can also be called “Mastermind” or “Jotto” involves one player thinking up a secret word of a set number of letters. The second player guesses a word; the first player tells them how many letters match in the right position (bulls) and how many letters are correct but in the wrong position (cows).

Our five year old loves this game, and it’s been a great way to develop her spelling and handwriting as well as logical thinking about which letters can or can’t be the correct ones after a few guesses.

10 Board and Dice Games

These are all games you can buy from Amazon (or quite probably your local toyshop). They’re fun ways to foster a love of writing within your family, or to share your enjoyment of words with your friends.

#1: Scrabble (2+ players)

A classic of word games, Scrabble is a game played with letter tiles on a board that’s marked with different squares. (Some squares provide extra points.) Letters have different points values depending on how common they are. The end result of scrabble looks like a crossword: a number of words overlapping with one another.

If you want to develop your vocabulary (particularly of obscure two-letter words…) then Scrabble is a great game to play. It’s suitable for children too, particularly in “Junior” versions.

#2: Boggle (2+ players)

This is less well known than Scrabble, but it was one I enjoyed as a child. To play Boggle, you shake a box full of dice with a letter on each side, and the dice land in the 4×4 grid at the bottom of the box. You then make as many words as you can from the resulting face-up letters.

Again, this is a good one for developing vocabulary – and it can be played by children as well as by adults. You need to write down the words you come up with, which can also be good for developing handwriting.

#3: Pass the Bomb (2+ players)

It’s very simple to play: you deal a card for the round pass a “bomb” around the table and when it goes off, the person holding it loses. Before you can pass the bomb on during your turn, you need to come up with a word that contains the letters on the card.

It’s a fun family or party game, and can work well with a wide range of ages. It’s a great way to help children think about letter patterns, too, and to develop vocabulary and spelling.

#4: Story Cubes (1+ players)

There are lots of different versions of these available, and they all work in a similar way. The open-ended game has a set of cubes that you roll to create ideas for a story that you can tell along with the other players. If you prefer, you can use them to come up with stories that you’re going to write on your own.

There are lots of different ways you can use them: as writing prompts for a school class or group, to make up a bedtime story together with your children, for getting past your own writers’ block, or almost anything you can think of.

#5: Apples to Apples (2+ players)

Apples to Apples has red cards (with the name of a person, place, thing, etc) and green cards (with two different descriptions): the player with a green card selects one of the descriptions, and others have to choose a card from their hand of red cards. The judge for that game decides which red card best matches the description.

If you want to develop your vocabulary (or your kids’), this could be a fun game to play. There are lots of expansions available, plus a “junior” version with simpler words. (If you’re playing with adults, you might also want to consider Cards Against Humanity, a decidedly not-kid-friendly game that works in a very similar way.)

#6: Letter Tycoon (2+ players)

In this game, you have a hand of 7 cards which you can use in conjunction with the 3 “community cards” to create a valuable word. It’s a more strategic game than some others, with aspects of finance (like patents and royalties) involved too – if you’re a budding tycoon, you might really enjoy it.

Because not all the game strategy depends on simply being good with words, it doesn’t matter if some players have a larger vocabulary than others. It’s suitable for children, too, so you can play it as a family game.

#7: Dabble (2+ players)

Dabble is a family-friendly game where you compete with other players to be the first to create five words (of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 letters) using your 20 tiles. It’s very simple to get the hang of … but coming up with the words might be more challenging than you expect!

If you enjoy Boggle or Scrabble, you’ll probably have fun with Dabble. It’s a great way to develop both spelling and vocabulary, and to have fun with words.

#8: Upwords (2+ players)

Upwords is like 3D Scrabble: you can stack tiles on top of other tiles to create new words. The board is smaller than a Scrabble board (and doesn’t have double and triple word score squares) so it’s not as complex as it might initially sound.

Like similar games, it’s a great one for building vocabulary and for developing your spelling. It’s suitable for kids, too, so it could be a great game for the whole family.

#9: Tapple (2+ players)

Tapple has a wheel, with most of the letters of the alphabet on it, and lots of different “topic cards” that cover 144 different categories. There are lots of different ways you can play it – the basic rules are that each player has to think of a word that fits the topic within 10 seconds, but that word can’t start with a starting letter that’s been used previously.

While small children might find it a bit too challenging or frustrating, due to the short time limit, this could be a great game for older children looking to extend their vocabulary. All the categories are suitable for kids.

#10: Last Word (2+ players)

In Last Word, players have to come up with answers to “Subject” and “Letter” combinations, racing to get the last word before the buzzer. It works a bit like a combination of “Tapple” and “Pass the Bomb”.

You can easily play it with a large group (there are tokens for up to 8 players, but you could add more without affecting the gameplay). It’s a great way to develop vocabulary and, to some extent, spelling.

5 Roleplaying Games

While my geeky tendencies have been reined in a bit since I had kids, I’ll admit I have a great fondness for roleplaying games: ones where you come up with a character (often, but by no means always in a magic-medieval setting) and play as them. These are some great ones that you might like to try.

#1: Dungeons and Dragons (3+ players)

Although you might never have played Dungeons and Dragons, I’m sure you’ve heard of this classic roleplaying game that’s been around since 1974 and is now onto is 5^th edition. It takes rather longer to get to grips with than a board or card game: to play, you need a “Dungeon Master” (essentially the storyteller of the game) and at least two players (who each control a character), plus rulebooks and a lot of different dice.

It’s a great game for developing the “big picture” aspects of writing, like the ability to construct a plot and a story (if you’re the Dungeon Master) and the skills involved with creating a character, giving them a backstory, and acting “in character” as them (if you’re one of the players).

#2: Amazing Tales (1 parent, plus 1 or 2 children)

This is a kid-friendly RPG aimed at parents who want to create a story with their child(ren). It’s like a very simple version of Dungeons and Dragons, and has straightforward but flexible rules. You can play it with a single six-sided dice – though it’s better if you have four dice (with six, eight, ten and twelve sides).

If you want to encourage your child’s creativity and have fun creating stories together, this is a wonderful game to play. The rulebook contains lots of ideas and sample settings, with suggested characters and skills … but you can come up with pretty much any scenario you like.

#3: LARP (Live Action Roleplay) (lots of players)

Over the past decade or so, LARP has become a bit more mainstream than it once was. It’s short for “Live Action Roleplay” … which basically means dressing up as your character and pretending to be them. It’s a bit like Dungeons and Dragons crossed with improv drama.

The nature of LARP is that it needs quite a lot of people, so unless you have loads of friends to rope in, you’ll want to join an organised LARP – there are lots out there, covering all sorts of different themes, from traditional fantasy ones to futuristic sci-fi ones. Some are suitable for children, but do ask event organisers about this. They won’t necessarily involve any sort of writing, but can be a great way to explore characters and dialogue.

#4: MUDs (lots of players)

MUDs, or “multi-user dungeons” have been around since the early days of networked computing in the ‘70s, and are the forerunners of games like Fortnite and World of Warcraft. They’re now distinctly retro-looking text-based online games, where players create a character and interact with other characters and the world.

Like other types of roleplaying game, they’re a great way to practice storytelling and character-development skills. They also involve a lot of writing – so they can be useful for things like vocabulary and spelling. Some are suitable for children, but as with anything online, do ensure your children know how to be safe (e.g. by not giving out their full name, address, etc).

#5: Online Forum Games / Forum Roleplaying (2+ players)

Some fan communities write collaborative fanfiction through forums (here’s an example), with different people posting little pieces as different “characters” to continue a story. These can be quite involved and complex, and they can be a great way to learn the skills of telling a long, detailed story (e.g. if you’re thinking of writing a novel).

They’ll probably appeal most to writers who are already producing fanfiction on their own, and who have a fair amount of time for the back-and-forth required for forum roleplaying. Again, if your child wants to get involved with this type of roleplaying, do make sure you monitor what they’re doing and who they’re interacting with.

10 Word Games You Can Play on Your Phone

These days, many writers are more likely to have their phone to hand than a pen and paper … and to be fair, there’s nothing wrong with that. You can easily make notes on a phone, whether by tapping them in or by recording them. If you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands, why not try one of these writing-related games?

Note: all of these are free to download, but most allow in-app purchases, and you may find you need to make a purchase to get the most out of them.

#1: Bonza Word Puzzle

This game is a bit like a deconstructed crossword: you get bits of the puzzle and you drag them together to form words that will all match with the clue. If you’re a fan of crosswords and want something a bit different, you might just love it.

It’s a great way to think hard about letter patterns and how words are put together, so it might be a good game for older children who’re looking to develop their spelling and vocabulary, too.

#2: Dropwords 2

Dropwords 2 (a rewrite of the original Dropwords) is a word-finding puzzle where letters drop from the top of the screen: if you remember Tetris, you’ll get the idea. It’s a bit like Scrabble or Boggle, and you have to race the clock to make letters out of the words on the screen.

With six different modes (“normall”, “lightning”, “relax”, etc), it’s suitable for children and for people who are learning English, as well as for those wanting to really challenge their vocabulary skills.

#3: Spellspire

Spellspire is a fantasy-style game where you select letters from a grid to create words: the longer the word, the bigger the blast from your magic wand! You can kill monsters, buy better equipment, and make your way to the top of the Spellspire.

If your kids aren’t very motivated to practice their spelling, this could be a great game for them. (Or, let’s face it, for you!) You can also choose to play it against your Facebook friends, adding a competitive element.

#4: TypeShift

This is a relatively simple game that lets you create words from letters arranged on different dials. There are a couple of different ways you can play: by trying to use all the letters on the dials at least once to create words, or by tackling the “Clue Puzzles”, which are a bit like crossword clues.

Again, if you want to develop your spelling and vocabulary, this is a straightforward game that you can use to do so. You can buy extra puzzle packs at a fairly reasonable price, if you find that you want to play it a lot.

#5: Wordalot

This crossword app uses pictures rather than written clues, which is a fun twist. You can use coins to get hints (you can earn these through the game, or purchase them with real money).

If you enjoy doing crosswords but want something a bit different, give this one a try. You might find that as well as helping you develop your spelling and vocabulary, it’s a great way to develop your lateral thinking as you puzzle out the clues.

#6: WordBrain

This game is another one where you have to find hidden, scrambled words within a grid. There are loads of different levels (1180!) and so this could keep you busy for a long time. You can purchase hints – this could potentially see you clocking up quite a spend, though.

All the words are appropriate for children (though some are tricky to spell), so your kids might well enjoy this game too, as a way to develop their spelling and vocabulary.

#7: Ruzzle

Ruzzle works like Boggle, with a 4×4 grid of letters that you use to make words (the letters must be adjacent to one another). You can play it against friends, or simply against random players.

Like the other apps we’ve looked at, it’s a good one for developing your vocabulary and spelling. Some players said it included too many ads, so this is something to be aware of if you plan to use the free version rather than upgrading.

#8: WordWhizzle Search

This is a word search type game with loads of different levels to play. If you enjoy word searches, it’s a great way to carry lots around in your pocket! You can play it alone or with Facebook friends. It’s easy to get to grips with, but the levels get increasingly tricky, so you’re unlikely to get bored quickly.

As with other apps, this is a great one for developing your spelling and vocabulary. Each level has a particular description (words should match with this), so you have to avoid any “decoy” words that don’t match.

#9: 7 Little Words

This game works a bit like a crossword: each puzzle has seven clues, seven mystery words, and 20 tiles that include groups of letters. You need to solve the clues and rearrange the letter types so you can create the answers to the mystery words – so it’s also a bit like an anagram.

There are five different difficulty levels (“easy” to “impossible”) and each game is quick to play, so this could be a good one for kids too. Again, it’s a great way to develop vocabulary and spelling.

#10: Words With Friends

This classic word-building game is hugely popular, and you can play against your Facebook or Twitter friends, or against a random opponent. It works just like Scrabble, where you have seven letter tiles and add them to a board.

You can chat with the opponent in a chat window, so do be aware of this if you’re allowing your kids to play. The game is a great way to develop vocabulary and spelling, and you can play it fairly casually because there’s no time limit on your moves.

10 Word Games You Can Play in Your Browser

What if you want a writing-related game you can play while taking a break at your computer? All of these are games that you can play in your browser: some involve a lot of writing and are essentially story-telling apps, whereas others are essentially digital versions of traditional pen and paper games.

Unless otherwise noted, these games are free. With some free browser games, you’ll see a lot of ads. If this annoys you, or if you’re concerned that the ads may be unsuitable for your children, you may want to opt for premium games instead.

#1: Wild West Hangman

This is a digital version of Hangman, which we covered above. You choose a category for words (e.g. “Countries” or “Fruits And Vegetables”) and then you play it just like regular Hangman.

It’s simple enough for children – but it only takes six wrong guesses for your cowboy to be hanged, too, so it could get frustrating for younger children.

#2: Word Wipe

In Word Wipe, you swipe adjacent tiles (including diagonals) to create words, a bit like in Boggle. The tiles fall down a 10×10 grid (moving into the blank spaces you’ve created when your word disappears from the grid) – your aim is to clear whole rows of the grid.

Since the easiest words to create are short, simple ones, this is a great game for children or for adults who want to get better at spelling.

#3: Sheffer Crossword

As you might expect, this is a crossword game! There’s a different free puzzle each day, and you can choose from puzzles from the past couple of weeks. It looks very much like a traditional crossword, and you simply click on a clue then type in your answer.

The clues are straightforward rather than cryptic, though probably not easy enough to make this a good app for children or for English learners. If you’re a fan of crosswords, this will definitely be a great way to develop your vocabulary, though.

#4: Twine

Twine is a bit different from some of the other games we’ve looked at: it’s a tool for telling interactive stories (a bit like the old “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, or a text-based adventure game). You lay out your story as different cards and create connections between them.

If you want to experiment with interactive fiction, this is a simple, code-free to get started – as reviewer Kitty Horrorshow puts it, “if you can type words and occasionally put brackets around some of those words, you can make a Twine game”. It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of story, plot and narrative.

#5: Storium

Like Twine, Storium is designed to help you tell stories … but these stories are written in collaboration with others. (There’s a great review, with screenshots, here on GeekMom.) You can either join a story as a character within it, or you can narrate a story – so this is a great game for building lots of different big-picture fiction-writing skills.

It’s suitable for teens, but probably involves a bit too much writing for younger children. If you’d like to write fiction but the idea of creating a whole novel on your own seems a bit overwhelming, or if you enjoy roleplaying-type games (like Dungeons and Dragons), then you might just love Storium.

#6: Words for Evil

This game combines a fantasy RPG setting (where you fight monsters, get loot, gain levels and so on), with word games to play along the way. It could be a good way to encourage a reluctant young teen writer to have fun playing with words – or you might simply enjoy playing it yourself.

The word games work in a very similar way to Word Wipe, so if you found that game frustrating, then Words for Evil probably isn’t for you!

#7: First Draft of the Revolution

This game is an interactive story, told in the form of letters (epistolary). It comes at writing from a much more literary angle than many of the other games, and if you’ve studied English literature or creative writing, or if you teach writing, then you might find it particularly interesting.

The graphics are gorgeous – playing the game is like turning the pages of a book. To play First Draft of the Revolution, you make choices about how to rewrite the main character (Juliette’s) draft letters – helping you gain insight into the process of drafting and redrafting, as well as affecting the ongoing story.

#8: Writing Challenge

Writing Challenge can be used alone or with friends, creating a collaborative story by racing against the clock. You can use it as an app on your phone, as well as on your computer, so you can add to your stories at any time.

If you struggle to stay motivated when you’re writing, then Writing Challenge could be a great way to gamify your writing life – and potentially to create collaborative works of fiction.

#9: Plot Generator

Plot Generator works a bit like Mad Libs: you select a particular type of story (e.g. short story, movie script, fairytale) then enter a bunch of words as prompted. The website creates the finished piece for you. There are also options for story ideas (essentially writing prompts), character generators, and much more on the site.

If you’re stuck for an idea, or just want to play around a bit, Plot Generator could be a lot of fun. Some of the options, like Fairy Tale, are great to use with young children – others may not be so suitable, so do vet the different options first.

#10: The Novelist ($9.99)

The Novelist follows the life of Dan Kaplan, a struggling novelist who’s also trying to be a good husband and father. You can make choices about what Dan should do to reach his goals in different areas of his life – and the decisions you make affect what happens next in the game. You are a “ghost” in the house, learning about and influencing the characters.

While there’s not any actual writing involved in the game, it could be a thought-provoking way to explore how writing fits into your own life.

10 Games to Help You Learn to Type

Typing might seem like an odd thing to include on a list of writing games. But so much of writing involves being able to type – and if you’re a slow typist, you’ll find that your fingers can’t keep up with your brain! While most people find that their typing does naturally improve with practice, these games are all quick ways for you (or your kids) to get that practice in a fun way.

Obviously, all of these games should help to improve typing skills: those which involve whole words may also help with spelling and vocabulary. Unless otherwise mentioned, they’re free.

#1: Dance Mat Typing

This game is designed to teach children touch type (type without looking at the keyboard). It starts off with Level 1, teaching you the “home row” (middle row) keys on the keyboard. Other letters are gradually added in as the game progresses.

It’s very much aimed at kids, so teens and adults may find the animated talking goat a bit annoying or patronising! Unlike many other free games, though, it doesn’t include ads.

#2: Spider Typer

This typing game took a while to load for me: you too many find it’s a bit slow. In the game, you type the letters that appear on chameleons that are trying to catch a spider (the chameleons disappear when you hit their letter). The spider keeps rising up into a tree, and if it safely gets there, you move on to the next level.

It’s suitable for kids, and starts off very easy with just letters: if you set it to a harder difficulty, you need to type whole words.

#3: NitroType

This is a competitive typing game where you race a car against friends (or total strangers) by typing the text at the bottom of the screen. It’s a good one for practicing typing whole sentences, including punctuation – not just typing letters or words.

Older children might enjoy it, and any adults with a strong competitive streak! You can compete as a “guest racer”, or you can create an account and login so you can level up and gain rewards like a better car.

#4: TypeRacer

TypeRacer is similar to NitroType: you control a racing car and the faster you type, the faster your car moves. You can practice on your own, enter a typing race, or race against your friends if you prefer.

If you create an account and login, other users can see your username, score, average speed and so on – and they can also send you messages. This could potentially open you up to receiving spam or unwanted communications, so do be aware of this, particularly if you’re allowing your child to play.

#5: The Typing of the Ghosts             

In this game, you destroy ghosts by typing the word on them. The graphics are pretty rudimentary, though it is a free game and a good way to practice quickly typing words. It’s suitable for children, and the sound effects (there’s a noise for every letterstroke) may appeal to kids.

You don’t need to create an account or login: you can simply start playing straight away.

#6: Typing Chef

In this game, you type cooking-related words (usually types of equipment). It involves single words and a few double words with a space between at the early levels.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about this game compared with others, though it wasn’t so ad-heavy as some and doesn’t require any registration. It’s good for teaching words and phrases, but not for helping you to learn to type whole sentences.

#7: TypeTastic

This is a fun typing game aimed at young kids, so it starts with the fundamentals. You start by building a keyboard from letter blocks, then learn how to spot letters on the keyboard quickly before learning where those letters are located.

Teachers or parents might be interested in reading about why the game starts with mapping the keyboard. The interface and graphics are pretty good, given that it’s a free game, and it’s designed specifically with young children in mind.

#8: Typer Shark! Delux

This is a free typing game, where you’re a diver exploring the seas. You can choose from different difficulty levels, and – in a mechanic that’s probably by now quite familiar if you’ve played any of the other typing games – you get rid of creatures like sharks by typing the word written on them.

Again, this can help you with your typing speed and accuracy. I found it was a bit slow to load, but it’s not full of ads like some other games.

#9: Typing Attack

In this game, you’re a spaceship, facing enemy spaceships – each with a word written on them. I expect you can guess what you need to do: type the word correctly to destroy the spaceship. Some words are shorter, some longer, and as with other games, there are multiple difficulty settings.

You’ll need to watch an ad before the game loads, which can be annoying, and means that it isn’t necessarily suitable for children.

#10: The Typing of the Dead: Overkill ($14.99)

This game is definitely aimed at adults rather than kids, because it’s a bit gory. It also costs $14.99, so it’s probably one that’ll suit you best if you’re really keen to improve your typing speed – perhaps you do transcription, for instance, or you’re a freelance writer.

To play the game, you type the words that appear in front of the enemies and monsters: each type you type a letter correctly, you send a bullet at them. If you like horror games and films, it could be a fun way to learn to type faster – but it won’t necessarily improve your accuracy with whole sentences.

10 Word Games that Are Particularly Suited to Kids

While I’ve tried to indicate above whether or not the games are suitable for kids, I wanted to list the ten that I’d particularly recommend if you want to help your children get a great start as budding writers.

Several of these are games I play with my five-year-old already; others are games I’m really looking forward to using with her and my son as they get older. I won’t repeat the full descriptions: just scroll back up if you want those.

#1: Word searches (pen and paper) – you can buy whole books of these, or print off free ones. Older kids might have fun creating their own for their friends or siblings.

#2: Bulls and Cows (pen and paper) – you can play this with just a pen and paper (or if you’ve got a really good memory, with nothing at all).

#3: Boggle (board game) – this is simple enough for quite young children to get the hang of it: my five-year-old enjoys playing it with her Granny.

#4: Story Cubes (dice game) – your child can use these on their own to come up with ideas for a story, or you could use them with a group of children – e.g. in a classroom or as part of a club.

#5: Amazing Tales (roleplaying) – this child-friendly RPG is a great way to introduce big-picture storytelling skills, particularly developing a character.

#6: Spellspire (phone app) – a fun spelling/word-creation game your child can play on your phone (and probably a bit more educational than yet another game of Angry Birds).

#7: Wild West Hangman (browser game) – if your child likes hangman but you don’t always have the time to play it with them, this is a good alternative.

#8: First Draft of the Revolution (browser game) – if your teen is interested in writing and/or the French revolution, they might really enjoy this intriguing game based around redrafting letters.

#9: Dance Mat Typing (typing game) – this game from the BBC is high-quality, and designed to appeal to young children. It teaches good typing practice from the start, by explaining correct finger placement on the keys.

#10: TypeTastic – this is another typing game aimed at young children, and this one starts with putting together a keyboard – a great place to begin.

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Do you have any favourite writing games – of any type? Share them with us in the comments.

FAQ: Vocabulary Games

Here are answers to common questions about vocabulary games and activities.

What are vocabulary games?

Vocabulary games are word and language games you can play with students, coworkers, or family and friends. These games challenge players to hunt for words or definitions, brainstorm terms, deduce phrases based on clues, or create words under certain conditions. Language games are a great way to teach new vocabulary and help students practice recognizing and using new words. These activities are also known as “vocabulary building games” and “vocab games”, and are similar to “word games” and “letter games”.

What are some fun word games for groups?

Some fun word games for groups include Pictionary, Tree or Bob Ross, and word scrambles.

What are some online vocabulary games?

By using virtual meeting software like Zoom, you can play any word game online. Some good virtual vocabulary games include Scrabble, Scattergories, and online crossword puzzles.

What are good ESL word games?

The best ESL word games are easy to understand and play yet expand the vocabularies of participants. Good ESL word games include word association, word searches, and hangman.

What are fun ways to teach vocabulary?

Word games are one of the most fun and easy ways to teach vocabulary. While some kids get frustrated with straightforward reading or language exercises, word games disguise vocabulary lessons as a fun challenge. Plus, playing language games together is a great teamwork exercise.

No matter how old or young you are, or how intelligent you think you may be, it’s important to exercise your brain regularly. Thankfully, there are lots of fun ways to do that. One of which is to play multiplayer brain games with your friends.

These mobile games will test your gray matter, and let you show off your knowledge and skills to anyone willing to play with you. So, can you beat your friends at one of these awesome multiplayer brain games? They’re all free to play.

1. Maze King

Mazes can make for great brain exercise game and the bigger the maze, the more challenging it is. Maze King is a great game for showing off your solving skills against others. Play through the Stage Mode to get the hang of the game, then head to the Multiplayer Mode to take on a friend.

You can invite friends with a tap that will send a link to the game via text message. Or, you can compete against a random player if you prefer.

Download: Maze King for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Chess Time

Chess Time is a terrific mobile option for playing pals around the world. The game offers different background colors to choose from, leaderboards by country and rating, and a timer to see how long the challenge lasts. You can also enable options such as the quick chat keyboard, coordinates display, and valid move color.

Connecting with friends is easy: You can search for a player if you know their username or send an invitation to them via email or text.

Download: Chess Time for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

3. Chess With Friends Free

If you prefer to take on your Facebook friends in a game of chess, then Chess With Friends Free is the way to go. Search for one of your pals or find a player by username. You can enable chat notifications, show yourself available to other players, and make yourself visible on the leaderboards.

Chat while you play or just concentrate on the game. You can also discover a new opponent and view the leaderboard for the month.

Download: Chess With Friends Free for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

4. Skillz – Logical Brain

Skillz – Logical Brain is an excellent way to train your brain alone, but is even better against others. The app has a variety of brain teasers for you to pick from or you can play a random game.

Start off level one by picking a friend, once you sign into Google (on Android). Then, show off your skills in puzzles and challenges that put your memory, reflexes, accuracy, and speed to the test.

You can type a message to other players who are waiting in rooms to play and see where you stand on the leaderboard.

Download: Skillz – Logical Brain for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. QuizUp

QuizUp is an enjoyable trivia games with a huge variety of topics. You can pick from business, education, history, and science. Or see who knows the most about sports, games, television, and music. The trick is to answer quickly and correctly in a round of questions. Move up the levels as you annihilate your pals in this battle of wits.

You can connect easily using Facebook and then search for friends who have the game installed. After you play a round, tap the chat button to gloat to your buddy about how you just outscored them.

Download: QuizUp for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Trivia Crack

The original Trivia Crack is still around and still a blast. Your goal is to collect a character for each of the six categories: art, history, science, sports, geography, and entertainment. To do this, continue to answer questions correctly for the category you hit when you spin the wheel.

Log into Facebook to play against friends or connect to Twitter to invite others. Trivia Crack is a turn-based game, so you can take your spin when you have time. You can also chat within the game and share your level achievements to rub in your victories.

Download: Trivia Crack for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

7. Trivia Crack Kingdoms

If you enjoyed the first Trivia Crack game, then check out Trivia Crack Kingdoms. In a royal battle against your buddies, find out who really is the brainy one in the realm of trivia.

Pick a channel topic such as sports, world history, food and drink, movies, or television shows. Then when you answer correctly, you earn crowns, striving to collect them all before your opponent does.

By connecting to Facebook, you can challenge your friends. Plus, Trivia Crack Kingdoms offers an in-app chat for a little trash talk.

Download: Trivia Crack Kingdoms for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. Words With Friends

Words With Friends has been popular around the world for years. But if you’ve never tried it and you enjoy word games, then you must check it out. Gameplay is similar to Scrabble, where you create words with the letters you are given. The words must connect on the game board and longer words and letters with higher point values help you score bigger.

Like Chess With Friends Free and made by the same company, Words lets you play against your Facebook pals. Chat during the game, take your turn when you have a minute, and show off your smart skills with high-scoring words.

Download: Words With Friends for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

9. Word Chums

For a Words With Friends style game with cute characters, try your skills at Word Chums. With the same type of Scrabble gameplay, a colorful interface, and a cheerful experience, creating words for high scores is truly fun. Word Chums also offers power-ups for replacing all of your letters and getting high-scoring hints.

You can play against your Facebook friends, other Word Chums players, or someone in your contacts list. The game has an in-app chat for some friendly ribbing during the competition.

Download: Word Chums for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

10. Pictoword

For a different type of word game battle, Pictoword is a picture-based challenge. The concept is simple. You see two images that combine to form one word. You just have to figure out what that word is with the number of letter spaces provided.

Unlike the other games in this list, Pictoword lets you create a «family» to play against others. You will need to solve your way through many levels first, but this is great practice. Then, create your group, invite members, and chat during a break.

Download: Pictoword for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

11. Infinite Word Search

Another brainy game to play against your friends is Infinite Word Search. The game is played in the same classic style of the word search puzzles you have seen all over the place. But Infinite Word Search lets you choose the topic for your puzzle with options like animals, countries, fashion, and many more.

If you think your word finding skills are better than your Facebook friends, connect and play a pal. In real-time gameplay, see who can find the most words the quickest. This adds quite a bit of challenge to the gameplay, especially if you are both looking for the same word at the same time.

Download: Infinite Word Search for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

Facebook Games

Don’t forget that there are tons of Facebook Instant Games worth playing as well. There are plenty to play alone, but what’s the fun in that when you can outscore a friend and brag about it?

Pop open your mobile Facebook app and select Gaming from the menu. Or, when you are online on a desktop or laptop, click the Home button and pick Games from the left-hand navigation.

Here are just a few brainy games you can play against your friends:

• 12. SongPop Arcade: A music trivia challenge for songbirds.
• 13. Dominoes: Battle!: Classic dominoes where you compete for a high score.
• 14. Draw Something: Draw pictures for the other player to guess.
• 15. Wordalot Express: Complete the crossword puzzle with words from the picture.

On your mobile device or online, just choose a game and hit Play.

These Multiplayer Brain Games Are Extremely Entertaining

It’s normal to love a game that you are good at. If you often outscore or simply outplay your friends, that’s even better. With these games, you can sharpen your skills and prove that you’re the smartest among your friends. So, let the brainy battle of wits begin! You might even want to try some free online cognitive tests.

For more fun games to play with friends, check out these cross-platform mobile multiplayer games.

Planning a game night is no easy feat. Making your friends show up on time is the first challenge. The second? Brainstorming what to play, as quips and complaints pour in.

To save you precious time, we’ve compiled a list of six fun word games that you can play with friends online. No downloads are needed—simply type these games’ addresses into your browser, and start playing:

1. Letterbox

How to play: In 60 seconds, make as many words as possible using nine letters shown on a grid. The longer the words, the more points you get:

Tricky letter combinations can show up on Letterbox. If you get an ‘S’ like this, try plurals for a higher score. (Source: letterboxgame.com)

No. of players: Min. 2-3 to be competitive, but you can also play solo. 

Play here: http://letterboxgame.com

2. Codenames

How to play: Codenames is a cult party game that tests your ability to link diverse concepts. To play, operatives from two teams (red and blue) must compete to guess the secret cards assigned to them on a board. But there’s a catch: only the spymaster (leader) of each team knows which cards are red, and which cards are blue—everyone else is guessing blind. To help their operatives pick the right card, each spymaster must speak in code, and write down one word that acts as a clue to link their team’s cards. The team that correctly finds all of their cards first, wins:

No. of players: Min. 4, to allow at least one spymaster and one operative per team. Codenames is best played via voice chat, for easy coordination. 

Play here: https://codenames.game

3. Google Feud

How to play: Predict the top 10 most popular online searches on a given topic. You’ll get a partial search prompt to start with, and must make educated guesses on how Google would auto-complete that search query. The format is based on the hit US show Family Feud:

I’ll leave the rest to your imagination. (Source: googlefeud.online)

No. of players: Min. 2 to solve as a team, but you can also play solo. Use a voice chat to make the guesses together!

Play here: https://googlefeud.online

4. Eldrow.io 

How to play: Like the name, it’s Wordle in reverse. In Wordle, you use the placement of green, yellow and grey tiles to guess a word within six tries. In Eldrow, you are given one solved word as the answer, and must find the previous word that led to it. A set of five words are released daily, and it can be challenging for even the best Wordle players to get them all right:

The yellow tiles hint that two letters except R and E from the word ‘THREE’ are present somewhere in the blank word, but at a different spot. (Source: eldrow.io)

No. of players: Eldrow doesn’t have a live multiplayer option, but you can compete with 3-4 other players via voice chat to see who finishes first. You can also play solo. 

Play here: https://eldrow.io

5. Scattergories 

How to play: If you passed out of school in the last 10 years, you might know the game ‘Name Place Animal Thing’. Well, Scattergories is the more intense version. First, players must join a lobby where an admin can pick multiple categories out of 30 free options (e.g. ‘bad habits’, ‘movies’, ‘memes’). Once the game starts, everyone gets the same letter (e.g. ‘C’), which must be used to name one thing in each category. When the clock stops, everyone weighs in on whether your answers were valid, or too creative:

Example of a completed list of answers before the timer runs out. (Source: scattergoriesonline.net)

No. of players: Min. 2 to be competitive, but you can also add bots to play with. The answer ‘approval’ process at the end is best done via voice chat. 

Play here: https://scattergoriesonline.net

6. Wheel of Fortune – Toss Up Challenge

How to play: The game selects a secret (but well-known) phrase around a common topic. Once you press ‘Play Now’, the letters making up the phrase will slowly appear on a tiled board. The goal is to quickly guess the phrase before all the tiles are revealed:

When you know the answer, tap on ‘Solve Puzzle’ to stop the tile reveal. (Source: wheeloffortune.com)

No. of players: Min. 2 to be competitive, but you could also play solo or as teams. There is no live multiplayer setup, so you can compete via voice chat. 

Play here: https://www.wheeloffortune.com/play/toss-up-challenge 

That’s our list so far for entertaining word games that adults would enjoy playing. Do you know any other crowd-pleasers that should make this list?