New word puzzle · 5 × 5
Shuffle
Five words are scrambled onto a grid of letters and you are not told what they are. Slide rows and columns to uncover words, then collect the points for everything on the board.
How to play Shuffle
Each level fills a 5 × 5 board with five hidden five-letter words, one per row, then shuffles the board with a run of row and column slides. The letters end up scattered across rows and columns: the five words are still in there, but none of them is spelled when the board appears, and you are never shown what they are.
The arrows around the board shift one row sideways or one column vertically, and wrap-around is always on: a letter pushed off one edge reappears on the opposite edge. Rows only reorder the letters already in a row, so column slides are the only way to move a letter into a different row — building a word almost always uses both. After every move the game reads all ten lines on the board and highlights each one that is a valid word, in either direction.
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Shift a row left | ◀ button beside the row |
| Shift a row right | ▶ button beside the row |
| Shift a column up | ▲ button above the column |
| Shift a column down | ▼ button below the column |
| Undo the last move | Undo |
| Reveal one of the five hidden words | Reveal word |
| Bank the words on the board and end the level | Collect |
| Start the next level | Next level |
What a word is worth
Letters carry individual values, so every word has a price. The value of a word is the sum of its letters, and the panel above the board shows the price of each word plus the possible total for the whole board.
| Points | Letters |
|---|---|
| 1 | A E I L N O R S T U |
| 2 | D G |
| 3 | B C M P |
| 4 | F H V W Y |
| 5 | K |
| 8 | J X |
| 10 | Q Z |
Rows and columns score the same way. A word running down a column counts exactly as much as the same word across a row, and a letter shared by a word across and a word down is counted in both. The more expensive letters you can gather into a single line, the better the word pays.
The dictionary is deliberately broad, so plurals and everyday inflections count: LEEKS, BAKED and DRIES are all words here. A word you can plainly read on the board should almost always be one the game scores.
Collecting a level
The Collect button banks the possible total shown for the current board and ends the level. That is the whole loop: slide, read the list, and decide when to cash in. A fresh level then starts with five new hidden words, already scrambled, and your score carries over.
There is no timer and no move limit, and Undo is free, so a level lasts as long as you want it to. Only Collect ends it — including a blank board worth nothing, if you would rather move on. Your best total score is stored in your browser so you can chase it on a return visit.
Every board is dealt so that nothing scores before you touch it: the board is shuffled until no row or column spells anything. Any word on the board is one you found.
Strategy and tips
- Watch the panel as you slide. Words appear and vanish with a single move, so the value of the board can change by ten or twenty points at once.
- A word that runs down a column is worth exactly the same as the same word across a row. Both count, and both are added to the possible total.
- Letters can belong to two words at the same time, one across and one down. Overlapping words are free points, so look for a letter that works for both directions.
- High-value letters such as J, X, Q and Z are worth 8 to 10 points each. A single word containing two of them can be worth more than three ordinary words.
- Undo costs nothing, so try a slide, read the new list, and put it back if the total drops.
- The five starting words are never shown, and the shuffle scatters their letters across rows and columns. A row slide reorders the letters already in a row; only a column slide can hand a letter to a different row, so building a word usually takes both.
- Working out which letters form a word is the first half; the second is placing them. A column slide changes exactly one letter per row, so you can slot a letter into a row without disturbing the word you are building there.
- Collect when the board stops improving. Every move can break a word as easily as it makes one, and the level only ends when you press Collect.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Shuffle?
Shuffle is a 5×5 grid of letters. Slide any row left or right, or any column up or down, using the arrows around the board. Letters that leave one edge wrap around to the opposite edge. After every move the game checks all ten lines — five rows and five columns — for valid five-letter words, then lists what it found.
How is each word scored?
Every letter has a value, and a word is worth the sum of its letters. Common letters such as A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T and U are worth 1 point, while rare letters such as J, X, Q and Z are worth 8 to 10. So a word built from expensive letters scores far more than a word of the same length made of common ones.
Do columns score as well as rows?
Yes. A valid word scores whether it is spelled across a row or down a column, and every line on the board is checked after every move. If a letter belongs to a word across and a word down, it scores for both.
What does Collect do?
Collect banks the possible total shown for the current board and ends the level. Your score goes up by that amount, and the next level starts with five new hidden words, shuffled across the board before you see it.
Can I see the five hidden words?
Not unless you ask. Each level is built from five five-letter words and then shuffled with row and column slides, so nothing is spelled when the board appears. Press Reveal word to show one of the five if you want a target — the chip lights up once that word is on the board.
Is there a move limit or a timer?
No. Shuffle has no timer and no move limit. You can slide as much as you like, undo any move, and collect whenever you decide the board is as good as it gets. Your best total score is kept in your browser.