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• This roundup has been updated with new apps

Gaming on touchscreens can be tough, but there are certainly a few genres out there that suit the mobile platform well. One of the most popular is word games and the many shapes they take. So instead of digging through the Play Store endlessly to try and discover the best Android games, you can peruse our handy roundup that offers a hand-picked selection of the best word games currently available on Android right now. Enjoy!

Wordfeud Premium

This one is for all of you Scrabble fans out there. Seeing that the official Scrabble contains in-app purchases that range up to $299.99 per item, opting for a clone like Wordfeud is easily the way to go. This is the premium version of Wordfeud, which means it’s a complete package available for a single upfront price. It supports online play, so you can face off against friends and family anytime you want. Sure, you’ll have to convince them to install Wordfeud, but since there is also a free version, anyone can play without going out of pocket.

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Wordsmyth

Wordle saw the rise in popularity in daily word games and Wordsmyth runs with this theme offering a daily word game that plays like Boggle. Each day a new 3×3 pattern of letters is displayed on your screen, and it’s up to you to find all the words you can create with those letters; the longer the better. What’s nice about this setup is that this is a premium game, so there are no in-app purchases or advertisements. Better yet, there’s no timer, either. You have the whole day to take your time with the puzzle, which makes this a relaxing release you can play throughout your day.

Wordscapes

Wordscapes has been available on Android since 2017. It’s managed to last longer than most titles, and that probably has something to do with the focus on live service gameplay. The game works like a mix of a crossword puzzle and Boggle, where you’ll create words to fit in the fields at the top of the screen by utilizing the letters at the bottom of your screen. It’s a simple setup that grows challenging fast. In-app purchases are present, though you can pay to remove the game’s advertisements, which is appreciated. More or less, Wordscapes offers enjoyable word-based gameplay, whether you play for free or plan on sinking some funds into the title.

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supertype

Philipp Stollenmayer’s supertype offers something a little different from the majority of word games in the list. Instead of pulling from your vocabulary to form or find words, you’ll have to place letters on the board so that they fall in a strategic way to collect the many dots scattered around each level. In one instance, you may want to drop an M, since the letter can physically cling onto objects, or maybe you’ll drop a Y so that when you drop an O, it rolls in a specific direction. The choice is yours, which is what makes the game so much fun. Since this is a premium release, there are no free trials or demos. Luckily, the game is excellent, so there’s no need to worry about spending $2.

Four Letters

Four Letters takes Boggle and grinds it down to a superfast formula: you’ve got 20 seconds to make a word from four letters, at which point the letters renew. The goal is to take the endless gameplay as far as you can without losing. There are multiple answers to each puzzle, and a leaderboard is included for those who really want to put their word-forming skills to the test. Note that if you swear like a sailor, your favorite four-letter-words are not supported, so you’ll have to keep it clean to play this one.

Alphabear: Words Across Time

Spelling words by selecting letters from a grid is easy enough, but things get a little wild once you throw in a bunch of bears. Think if someone combined a word game with the puzzler Threes, and you’re getting close to what Alphabear: Words Across Time has to offer. The goal is to spell words with the letters displayed in the grind on your screen. The larger the word, the better, and as you progress, you’ll unlock cute bears. The bears grow in size as you spell words out of the letters that surround them. The graphics are cute, the monetization is fair (ads are present, but you can pay to remove them), and there are adorable bears to collect. What’s not to like?

Letterpress – Word Game

Letterpress is a competitive word game in which players take turns forming words out of the letters available on a board. This board consists of a 5×5 block of letters, and it’s up to each player to find as many words in the group as possible. These words, of course, are worth points, and whoever has the most points at the end of the match wins. If you’d prefer to practice before taking on real-world opponents, you can always battle a bot to get a grip on your skills.

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Typeshift

Typeshift is a unique puzzle game that mixes anagrams with a crossword puzzle. It comes from the creator of SpellTower. The goal is to find as many words as possible within the supplied columns of letters. You can slide these columns up and down on your screen, and that’s exactly how you form new words from the letters you’re provided. It’s a simple setup that works well. Gameplay accessible to all, which is precisely why Typeshift is so popular.

Words for a bird

Bart Bonte is best known for his color games like Red and Black; much like these titles, Words for a bird is an odd game that uses minimal art. It relies on solid gameplay to entertain. The goal in Words for a bird is to figure out the missing word in provided phrases by selecting the letters on your screen. Not all of these letters are used, so you have to think about the solutions a bit. There are a total of 15 puzzles to solve (and that’s it), so this is a short game, but it’s also a fun one.

Cryptogram

Cryptogram is a simple word game in which the player is tasked with solving a cryptic message by finding ciphers within the jumbled text. As you uncover hidden letter patterns, you’ll slowly reveal a phrase, which is the goal of the game. Best of all, the app was recently updated to support better backspace behavior, which helps to clear your letters from a selected character.

Bonza Word Puzzle

Imagine if someone tore apart a completed crossword puzzle, then asked you to put it back together, piece by piece. That’s Bonza Word Puzzle, which offers a twist on classic crossword puzzle design. Instead of filling in individual letters, it’s your job to mix and match entire sections of a completed crossword puzzle to form full words.

Kitty Letter

If you’re looking for a word game that’s competitive, Kitty Letter is a fantastic choice. The goal is simple: form words out of the letters provided. The bigger the word, the more armies you add to your side of the board. The words you form are how you attack your opponent, and the first one to form more words to create the largest army wins the whole enchilada. Online gameplay is 1v1, and if you’d like to practice your word-forming skills before jumping into competitive play, there’s also a full single-player campaign available.

Word Search Puzzle

Word Search Puzzle offers a classic word search experience in which players are tasked with hunting down words within a large block of letters. There are three difficulty levels to choose from, as well as a few optional modes that include a timer to put more pressure on the player. The game is a pleasure to look at and play, which is probably why it’s already claimed over one million downloads.

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Cryptogram – Decrypt Quotes

If you’re in the mood for something a little different and are looking for more puzzle-play in your word games, you should check out Cryptogram. There are four difficulty levels to choose from, which should fit most people’s needs, and you can even choose your themes of play, whether you want to tackle subjects you are knowledgeable about or not. So yes, you’ll formulate words by deciphering the encrypted text on the screen, filling out these words to form famous quotes, a word game in every which way, but also a challenging puzzle game.

Ord.

If you’re looking for something that bucks trends, a game that doesn’t offer the typical word game gameplay, then perhaps Ord is what you’re looking for. This is a narrative game that plays like a text-based adventure, and it offers four separate quests that all hinge on your word choices. So say your character is about to wake; you can choose to sleep in or rise. Your choices matter, as the wrong choices can see things go sour pretty fast. So instead of picking and choosing letters to form words like many of the games in today’s roundup, Ord is a game where you’ll choose a word at each interaction to see each story to its end. And yes, there is a definite focus on this text, which is why this is the perfect title for a word game roundup.

Word Yard – Fun with Words

Boggle and crossword fans will enjoy Word Yard, as it mashes both genres into one game. You’ll place the letters provided at the bottom of the screen into the crossword-like fields in the center of the screen. It’s an intuitive setup that should appeal to adults and children alike, and the monetization isn’t all that bad either. The biggest annoyance is the game’s ads, but you can pay to remove them, so it’s not a huge deal. What’s nice is that an online connection isn’t needed, which makes this a good game for those who commute.

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This concludes today’s best word games roundup. Hopefully, everyone was able to find a few word games to play through, whether you prefer the familiar Scrabble-like mechanics of Wordfeud or enjoy odd games that combine genres, like Typeshift. Of course, this is a continually updated roundup. If you’d like to see something added to the list, make sure to sound off in the comments below. And remember, whether you prefer playing games on your favorite phone or favorite tablet, we offer plenty of guides to help you choose the correct model to enjoy your gaming sessions.