Word Grid, Word Tiles, Paper Novel and Wyps all read the same dictionary, so a word either exists or it does not and there is nothing left to argue about. In Word Tiles a word that is not in the list simply will not go down on the board.
Only One, Clover and Intercept turn one word into a delivery problem instead. Only One throws away any two clues that match before the guesser sees them, so the obvious clue is the wasted one — and with three players that can leave nothing at all.
Then Fake Answers, Quip Battle and Herd Think, where nobody is checking your spelling. Herd Think is the strangest of the lot: you score by writing what the rest of the table will write, and being clever is how you end up holding the Pink Cow.
Twelve, from dictionary races to one-word clues
Word Grid2–12 players · up to 100 with Teams · 5–10 min
Word Tiles2–4 players · 20–50 min
Paper Novel2–5 players · 15–25 min
Wyps2 players · 10–15 min
Only One3–7 players · 10–15 min
Clover2–6 players · 15–20 min
Intercept4–12 players · 15–25 min
Imposter3–12 players · 5–10 min
Fake Answers3–12 players · 5–10 min
Quip Battle3–12 players · up to 100 with Teams · 10–15 min
Herd Think3–12 players · up to 100 with Teams · 10–15 minPlaying in under a minute
- 1One person opens tableparty.io on a phone or a laptop and picks a game.
- 2Everyone else types the four-letter room code on their own phone. Nothing to install.
- 3Play. Anything secret stays on your own screen, so it works across a table or a video call.
Questions about Word games to play online
Do you check words against a real dictionary?
Yes, and the same one across Word Grid, Word Tiles, Paper Novel and Wyps. Word Tiles refuses an invalid play outright instead of letting the table argue, so nobody has to be the referee.
Which word games work with just two of us?
Wyps is built for exactly two, Word Tiles seats two to four, and Word Grid plays head to head. Clover deals you a clover each at two, and every clue you write is aimed at one particular person.
Which is the one where you cannot say the word?
Forbidden Words, which lives with the team games rather than on this list. Five related words are fenced off under each card, and the other team reads the same card with a finger on the buzzer. Below four it becomes a fifteen-level ladder.
Which scales best to a big group?
Word Grid. Fake Answers, Herd Think and Imposter all seat twelve too, but Word Grid gives all twelve the same grid at once — and a word two of you found is crossed out for both.