SUPPORT

Need help?

If you have a problem with Word Squash, a question that is not answered below, or feedback you would like to send, please get in touch.

For technical problems, it helps if you include your device model, operating system version, Word Squash version, and a short description of what happened.

Frequently asked questions

Tap or click a question to show the answer.

How do I play?
Place tiles on the grid to build the target phrases in straight lines before the Squasher reaches them. Clear more than one phrase at once to earn bonus points.
Why didn’t my phrase clear?
Each puzzle has five specific target phrases. A line will clear only when its three tiles form one of those phrases in the correct order.
Is there always a phrase I can make when the grid is full?
Yes. Whenever the grid is full, its nine tiles can always be rearranged to make at least one valid phrase. You will need to swap tiles to make the phrase.
What’s the difference between the Daily Challenge and Daily Specialist?
The Daily Specialist is an extra puzzle available only in the iOS and Android apps. The Daily Challenge uses broad, familiar themes, while the Daily Specialist ventures into more particular and sometimes stranger territory.
Does only my first attempt count?
Yes. Your first attempt determines your Daily Challenge or Daily Specialist score. After that, you can replay for practice with the phrases shown.
Does everyone get the same tiles?
On their first attempt at each day’s Daily Challenge or Daily Specialist, players start with the same tile order. Practice attempts use a fresh order each time.
When do new puzzles appear?
The Daily Challenge and Daily Specialist change every day at midnight UK time.
How does Letters Mode work?
In Letters Mode, each tile contains a single letter and all the target words are shown from the start. One of over 100 puzzles is selected at random each time you play. There is no puzzle of the day or bonus phrase.
What is the bonus phrase?
After you reach 20 points in a Daily Challenge or Daily Specialist game, a sixth phrase may be introduced. It is worth two points.
Is the Daily Challenge editorially independent?
Yes. The Daily Challenge is never controlled or influenced by a sponsor or commercial partner. The label “Supported by” indicates sponsorship only: the named sponsor has not helped choose the theme or write any of the phrases. A Daily Challenge may occasionally be created by an invited guest setter, who will be clearly credited, and Word Squash retains final editorial approval.
What’s the difference between “Supported by” and “Created in partnership with”?
“Supported by” means sponsorship only: the named person or organisation has had no involvement in creating the puzzle. “Created in partnership with” means they have contributed to its creation. Partnership puzzles are limited to the Daily Specialist and will always be clearly identified.
Who’s behind Word Squash?
Word Squash was created by David Nicholls, an independent developer based in London.
Why is it called Word Squash?

The name Word Squash reflects the game’s central preoccupation with linguistic compression: the subjection of familiar words and phrases to spatial constraint, temporal exigency and perpetual recombination. By confining language within an increasingly unforgiving physical and temporal framework, the game explores our compulsion to impose order upon chaos, extract meaning from the apparently arbitrary, and persevere in the increasingly tenuous belief that the correct alignment of lexical fragments may represent humanity’s last credible defence against entropy, mortality and the otherwise inevitable collapse of meaning itself.

Also, words get squashed in the game.

Tips and strategy

A few simple ideas can make a surprisingly big difference to your score in each puzzle.

LEARN THE PHRASES EARLY

Use the start of the game, when the squasher moves more slowly, to work out the five hidden phrases from the theme. Once you know them, you can concentrate on where each tile belongs instead of solving and placing at the same time.

TAP TO PLACE

You can drag the orange tile into the grid, but tapping an empty space is quicker. The tile moves straight there automatically.

PHRASES GO ANY WAY

Valid phrases can run horizontally, vertically or diagonally, forwards or backwards.

SWAPPING COSTS TIME

Moving or swapping a tile is often necessary to rescue a bad board, but it pushes the squasher closer. Treat it as a valuable escape move rather than something to use automatically.

KEEP AN EYE ON NEXT

When placing a tile, check the NEXT tile too and, when you can, leave it a useful space or start setting up the line it will need.

THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY

When the grid is full, the nine tiles can always be rearranged to make at least one valid phrase.

LOOK FOR SHARED TILES

Some tiles appear in more than one phrase. These are especially useful at intersections, where one well-placed tile can help build two lines at once.

LOOK FOR MULTI-CLEARS

Multi-clears are key to a high score. Look for placements, moves or swaps that complete two or more phrases at once. They earn bonus points and can clear a crowded board in a single move.

USE THE BONUS PHRASE

After you reach 20 points, a sixth BONUS PHRASE is unlocked. It is worth 2 points each time you clear it, and its extra point also counts when it forms part of a multi-clear.

DON’T PANIC. YET.

The squasher speeds up as you place more tiles, not simply as time passes. So there’s no advantage in rushing early. Use the slower start to plan placements and set up multi-clears. Later, favour quick clears and safe moves.

PRACTISE WITH PHRASES SHOWN

Your first attempt each day is the one that counts and the score you can share. After that, replay the puzzle with the phrases shown to sharpen your tile-placement skills for tomorrow’s puzzle.