Rulebook

Two modes. Eight steps.

Word Pileup

Start with one spelling rule. Enter a 3–12-letter dictionary word that follows it. Each correct answer adds a new rule and resets the timer to 25 seconds. All previous rules remain active. Checkmarks show which rules your word meets as you type.

A, E, I, O, and U are vowels. Y is a consonant. "No repeated letters" means each letter can appear only once. "No double letters side by side" only prohibits adjacent repeats. A–M and N–Z include both endpoints.

Category Trail

Each step has a category and a spelling condition. There are 28 categories, including sports teams, brands, animals, birds, sea creatures, insects, vegetables, flowers, trees, clothing, jobs, desserts, household items, tabletop games, shapes, school subjects, and drinks.

The category changes each step, but spelling rules carry over. Each answer must fit the current category and follow every active rule. Previous categories do not carry over.

Answers may contain spaces, punctuation, and numbers. Sports teams can be entered using their nicknames or current full names. Spelling rules apply to the nickname, not the city. Abbreviations and alternate names are accepted when included in the answer list. Accepted answers cannot be reused during the same run.

The brand category includes over 3,800 brands, products, and services, including FIJI Water. Legal trademark status does not determine whether an answer is accepted. Other categories, such as fruit and musical instruments, also use predefined lists. These lists are not exhaustive, but every prompt has at least four accepted standard answers.

Time and Scoring

Each correct answer resets the timer to 25 seconds. Incorrect answers do not advance the step or reset the timer.

Minor spelling mistakes are automatically corrected when there is one clear match that follows all active rules. The corrected answer is shown when accepted. Valid words that break a rule are not replaced with other answers. Ambiguous guesses must be entered again.

There is no pause. The timer continues running on the server if you leave or reload the page.

Completing all eight steps counts as a summit. Rankings are determined by completed steps, then by the total time remaining when correct answers reach the server. Network travel time is included. Exact ties share a rank.

Daily Leaderboard

Each browser gets one ranked attempt per mode per day. Word Pileup and Category Trail have separate leaderboards. No account is required.

The leaderboard displays results from completed runs. Your percentile represents the percentage of other finishers you strictly outscored. It appears once another player has finished.

A generated nickname is assigned automatically and can be changed using the trophy button. Only your nickname and score are public.

Guest progress is stored in your browser. Clearing the game cookie or switching browsers creates a new guest profile.

Practice and Sharing

Both modes have unlimited, unranked practice runs. Select a mode and choose Practice to play without using a daily ranked attempt.

Daily challenges reset at midnight Eastern Time.

After a run, you can share your scorecard without revealing your answers.