Words games are enjoyable because they are simple. There are a variety of word games. You can find words within a massive jumble of letters, unscramble anagrams, or fill in crossword puzzles. You can find all of those experiences along with some rather unique ones on mobile. There are quite a few options. However, many of them are copies of one another or don’t deliver a ton of actual content. We tried our best to sift through and find the best ones. There are official releases for classic word games like Scrabble Go (Google Play link), but the mobile versions often leave a lot to be desired. You can also find a bunch of Wordle variants in the Play Store, but they’re usually riddled with ads, which makes us sad.
In any case, here are the best word games, word puzzle games, and word search games for Android. If you need some help, we recommend checking out these anagram solvers and these cross solvers.
The best word games for Android
Bonza Word Puzzle
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Bonza Word Puzzle is an interesting hybrid between crossword and puzzle genres. Players get a clue and a bunch of letters all jumbled up. You arrange several different words by connecting the puzzle pieces together. It’s simple, fun, and it gets challenging occasionally. Players get the starter pack and two puzzle packs for free. You can unlock more with the coins you earn from doing packs or you can buy them with in-app purchases. We really appreciate the lack of a subscription price with this one and it’s also kid-friendly. We have no major complaints although some reviewers do have the occasional bug.
Crossword Puzzle by Redstone
Price: Free / Up to $4.99
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Crossword Puzzle by Redstone is, well, a crossword puzzle app with a bunch of free content. It works like a crossword puzzle probably should. You get a bunch of clues and you type in the answers. The app has easy, medium, and hard difficulties along with free packs of crosswords on a weekly basis. You can always purchase more via in-app purchases as well. The game also provides hints and controls for easily removing mistakes or skipping cells with letters while entering an answer. It’s even available offline. We honestly couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It’s a good, simple crossword puzzle game.
Hex Words is a competitive word game. You start with a bunch of letters in a hexagon shape on your phone. You tap the letters to form words as fast as you can. There is also an adventure mode where you find six related words to complete the challenge and the puzzle. We like this one because it’s minimal, free, and has no advertising. The colors of the puzzles are splashy and fun as well. There’s very little wrong with this one considering its price tag and target audience.
Letterpress
Price: Free / $4.99
Letterpress is another unique word puzzle game. It’s kind of like a much more intense version of Boggle. You and another player go head to head with a five-by-five grid of letters. Each letter fills in with your color when you create words. The game ends when you fill in every letter with a color. There are some rules in there, but it’s actually a fairly challenging game.
You can play with other people or with one of four bots. The game also comes with some of the tamest ads we’ve ever seen, support for the Oxford Dictionary, bad words, and even a bunch of stats to track your gameplay. The UI is super simple, but the game is surprisingly engaging. We definitely recommend this one. It’s definitely one of the best free word games.
Ruzzle is a competitive word-finder game. The goal is to find as many words as you can in two minutes. The winner is the person with the most points. That means you can technically win by having fewer words if your words generate a higher score. It’s a fun little game to play with simple mechanics. You simply select the letters, generate the word, and get points based on the value of each letter. This one is a premium game, so there are no ads to mess with your good time. It’s super rare to find an actively developed premium game that has an online multiplayer.
Sticky Terms is a bit more of a puzzle game than a word game, but each puzzle has words. You start each round with a fragment of a word along with an assortment of shapes and lines. You rotate each shape or line until it becomes part of the word. The round ends when you create a new word. Each word is a word that doesn’t have an equivalent outside of its native language, so you’ll be creating many words you likely haven’t heard of before. The extra bit of educational value makes it a fun time. This game is free with ads.
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
Wordfued is another online word game. This one plays like Scrabble. You have a selection of letters. Each round, you use those letters to create a word on the board, which gives you points. The game includes a chat function so you can talk to your opponent. Otherwise, it’s basically an online competitive version of Scrabble. There isn’t much else to talk about with this one. We consider that one of the pros of it. It does what it says and we appreciate that.
Wordscapes
Price: Free to play
Wordscapes is kind of a mixture of Boggle and a crossword puzzle. Players get a mix of letters on the bottom of the screen and a crossword-style layout at the top. You swipe letters to form words that fill in the crossword section. The goal is to find all of the words that fit rather than finding every single word. The game includes over 5,000 puzzles (many with themes), simple mechanics, and a couple of different game modes. The game features some rather obnoxious advertising and that makes it less friendly to free players. Otherwise, the experience isn’t half bad.
Words With Friends 2 and other Zynga games
Price: Free to play
Words With Friends 2 is Zynga’s most popular word game. It plays basically just like Scrabble. You and another player get some letters. You place them on a board to generate points. The player with the most points wins the game. This is a full online multiplayer experience, but you can play solo if you want to. The gameplay itself is perfectly fine and looks good.
You can remove ads, but it costs $10 per 30 days and we think that’s kind of awful. The freemium aspects of it aren’t overly gratifying either. Other than that, it’s a winner. Zynga also has Crossword With Friends, Boggle With Friends, and Draw Something. All three are excellent freemium word games. You can also find an official Scrabble game on Google Play, but this one is better.
Word Yarn
Price: Free to play
Word Yard is another simple word game and it’s another mix of Boggle and a crossword puzzle. You get a series of letters and you fill in the crossword section above. The game features hundreds of levels that get more difficult as you go. It also boasts no time limits, support for dozens of languages, full offline support, and more. The game is also kid-friendly because a lot of the early puzzles are ridiculously easy. Those looking for a true challenge may not find this game difficult enough to sate those needs. However, it’s not half bad for a free word game.
