Wordshake: the Grade 6 Vocabulary Game

Tap the letters one after another to build a word, then send it. If it is a real English word you get ten points for every letter. If it is not, nothing is lost - try another.

• Three letters score 30, four letters score 40. Longer words are always worth more, so look for a fourth letter before you send a three-letter word.
• A letter can only be taken back from the end. Tap the last letter again to remove it, or use Clear to start the word afresh.
• The same word only counts once. After that, the game tells you that you already have it.
• You can play with the keyboard. Move between the letters with the Tab key, choose one with Enter or the space bar, and press Enter anywhere else to send the word.

The score comes from noticing patterns, not from typing quickly.

• Start with the vowels. Five of the sixteen letters are vowels. Find them first, then look for consonants that sit either side.
• Work in families. If AT is there, try BAT, CAT, FAT, HAT, MAT, PAT, RAT, SAT. One pattern often gives four or five words.
• Add a letter to a word you already have. CAR becomes CARD or CART; EAT becomes HEAT, MEAT, NEAT, SEAT.
• Do not stare at one word. When nothing comes, clear it and look somewhere else on the grid. The clock does not stop.