Word Sprout

Controls

Swipe across the letters in the wheel to spell a word, then let go. You can also tap letters one by one, or type them, and press the tick or Enter to submit. Backspace drops the last letter, Space shuffles the wheel and 1 spends coins on a letter hint. P or Esc pauses.

How to play Word Sprout

Each level is a small crossword and a wheel of letters. Swipe around the wheel, or tap letters one by one, to spell a word, then let go. If that word sits on the grid, its tiles fill in. Real English words that are not on the grid still count as bonus words: each one is worth 5 coins and goes in the jar beside the board.

Clear every crossword word to finish the level. There is no timer and no way to lose a level, so you can sit with a puzzle until it clicks. Shuffle the wheel any time if the letters are in an awkward order.

Hints, coins and the tree

There are 72 levels. Finishing one grows the plant in the pot: Seed, Sprout, Seedling, Sapling, Young tree, Blossom tree, Fruit tree and, after all 72, Grand tree. A first clear of a level pays 10 coins, a replay pays 2, and bonus words add 5 each. You start with 50 coins.

Stuck on a tile? Spend 50 coins to reveal one letter, or watch a short ad for a free letter, up to three ads per level. You can also watch one ad per level to drop a whole remaining word onto the grid. Stars depend on how much help you used: none for three stars, two or fewer helps for two, and more for one. Letters you buy and letters from ads both count.

Tips and tricks

• Start with the longest word on the grid. Its letters often unlock several shorter ones at once.
• Bonus words are worth hunting even when you already know the crossword answers: the coins pay for later hints.
• Type on a keyboard if swiping the wheel feels fiddly. The letters still have to be in the wheel.
• If you skip an ad you get no letter and no word, but the button stays so you can try again.