How to play the Parseword game
Parseword is a cryptic-clue wordplay puzzle. Every board is a short clue shown as a row of word tiles. One part of the clue is the definition — a plain synonym of the answer — and the rest is wordplay. You reduce the wordplay to the answer by applying transforms to the tiles, one step at a time, until a single word remains that the definition confirms.
The steps
- Find the definition. Read the clue. One part — usually the first or last word or two — is the definition, a plain synonym of the answer. The rest is wordplay.
- Transform the tiles. Tap the tiles for the next move and choose the correct result from the options. Rearrange letters, read them backwards, pull out a hidden word, and more.
- Reduce to one word. Each correct step folds tiles into a new fragment. Keep applying transforms until a single fragment remains on the board.
- Confirm with the definition. That final fragment is the answer, and the definition confirms it. Fewer hints and wrong answers earn a higher rank.
The transforms
- Anagram. The letters of the selected tiles rearrange into a new word.
- Reversal. The letters are read backwards.
- Hidden word. A shorter word is concealed in a run of letters across the tiles.
- Deletion. A letter is dropped — often the first (behead) or last (curtail).
- Letter pick. Only certain letters are kept, such as the initials or every other letter.
- Join. Two or more fragments are placed side by side to make a longer word.
- Container. One fragment is inserted inside another.
- Synonym. A clue word is swapped for a fair synonym or a standard abbreviation.
Hints
Stuck on a step? The Hint button works in three tiers. The first highlights the definition part of the clue so you know what the answer means. The second names the next transform — for example, that the next step is an anagram or a reversal. The third solves the current step for you. Each tier costs points toward your final rank, so a clean, hint-free solve earns the top rank.
Ranks
When you finish a puzzle you earn a rank based on how cleanly you solved it — fewer hints and fewer wrong answers mean a higher rank.
- Cryptic Master — Solved with no hints and no wrong answers.
- Wordsmith — A sharp solve — barely a stumble.
- Solver — A steady, confident solve.
- Apprentice — You leaned on a few hints to get home.
- Novice — Every solved clue counts — welcome to the wordplay.
Tips
- Find the definition first. Every Parseword clue has a definition at one end — a plain synonym of the answer. Spotting it tells you what the wordplay has to build. The definition tiles are never part of the wordplay, so identifying them also narrows down which tiles you actually transform.
- Read the wordplay for its signals. Cryptic wordplay hides instructions in ordinary words. "Confused," "cooked," or "wild" often signal an anagram; "back" or "returning" a reversal; "hidden in" or "some of" a concealed word. Learning these indicators turns a baffling clue into a clear recipe.
- Work one step at a time. You do not have to see the whole solution at once. Combine or transform the tiles for the next move, confirm the result, and let the board shrink. Each fold leaves fewer tiles and a clearer path to the answer.
- Let the definition check your answer. When the wordplay produces a candidate word, test it against the definition. If it is a fair synonym, you are almost certainly right; if not, you have taken a wrong turn and should revisit a step. The definition is your built-in answer key.
- Spend a hint to learn a device. Stuck on a step? The second hint names the transform, which is often all you need to see the move. Use it to learn the device, then try to spot it unaided next time. A finished puzzle beats a stalled one, and you can chase the clean solve in unlimited mode.