How to play Anagram Challenge

Anagram Challenge gives you seven letters in a circle. Make as many real English words from them as you can. Click the letters or type them on your keyboard, then press Enter to check your word. Correct words are added to your word list.

• Words must be at least 3 letters long.
• Each letter can be used once per word. If a letter appears twice in the circle, you can use it twice.
• At least one word uses all 7 letters. Find it for a big bonus.

Play at your own pace with no time limit, or pick a 5-minute or 10-minute game to test yourself against the clock.

Scoring

3 letters = 1 point, 4 letters = 2, 5 letters = 3, 6 letters = 4, and the full 7-letter anagram = 15 points.

Tips and strategy

• Split vowels and consonants. Note which vowels you have, then try common consonant blends (ST, TR, PL, CH) around each one.
• Look for prefixes and suffixes. RE-, UN-, DE-, -ER, -ED, -ING and -EST often hide in a set of seven letters.
• Hunt the 7-letter word early. It’s worth as much as fifteen 3-letter words, and the smaller words often fall out of it.
• Shuffle. Press Space to rearrange the circle. A new order breaks the patterns your eyes get stuck on.
• Swap single letters. When you find a word, try changing one letter to find its neighbours: RATE, LATE, TALE, TEAL.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference from Word Hive? In Anagram Challenge each letter can only be used as many times as it appears, and there’s no compulsory centre letter. In Word Hive, letters repeat freely but every word must use the centre letter.

Why was my word rejected? It may be too short, use a letter too many times, or be a proper noun, abbreviation or very rare word that isn’t in our list.

For more techniques, read our Anagram Challenge guide and How to Spot an Anagram in Seconds.