How to play Word Hive

Word Hive gives you seven letters arranged in a honeycomb. Your goal is to make as many English words as you can from those letters. Tap the letters or type them on your keyboard, then press Enter to check your word.

• Every word must include the gold centre letter.
• Words must be at least 4 letters long.
• Letters can be used more than once in the same word.
• Every hive contains at least one pangram, a word that uses all seven letters.

Scoring

A 4-letter word scores 1 point. Longer words score 1 point per letter, so a 6-letter word is worth 6. Finding a pangram adds a +7 bonus on top of its letter score, which makes it the most valuable word in every puzzle.

Tips and strategy

• Start with common endings. Look for -ING, -ED, -ER and -LY patterns. One good stem can unlock three or four words at once.
• Remember letters repeat. Because letters can be reused, words like LEVEL or TOOTH are possible even with only one L or one T in the hive.
• Hunt the pangram early. Pair the vowels with the centre letter and try longer combinations. The pangram is often a word you know well that hides in plain sight.
• Shuffle when stuck. Press Space to rearrange the outer letters. Seeing them in a new order is the quickest way to spot words you missed.
• Build families. Once you find PLANT, try PLANTS, PLANTED and PLANTER.

Frequently asked questions

Why was my word not accepted? It may be shorter than four letters, be missing the centre letter, or be a proper noun, abbreviation or very unusual word that isn’t in our word list.

Can I play on my phone? Yes. Word Hive works on phones, tablets and computers, and your progress is saved on your device.

Keyboard shortcuts: type letters, Enter to check, Backspace to delete, Space to shuffle.

Enjoy Word Hive? Try Anagram Challenge, where letters can only be used once, or race the clock in Word Grid. Read our guide How to Spot an Anagram in Seconds for more word-finding techniques.