Popular Word Games and Puzzles

Part 2 of 2
Skill Games Program

This popular Word Games lesson, part 2 includes types of pencil word games and a list of popular word games online. There are two lists at the end of this lesson for the 5 most popular puzzle games and 5 most popular word games.
These lessons are part of the Learn Skill Games Program.

Types of Pencil Word Games and Examples
There are plenty of pencil word games to enjoy as well.  Not all pencil word games have to utilize a pencil as some have been translated into online gaming options where the player uses a keyboard and mouse instead. 
Let’s take a look at some popular word games that are presently available both online as well as land-based.

Crossword Puzzles:
Crossword puzzles are found in magazines, newspapers, coloring books, and some magazines are solely dedicated to offering easy, intermediate, and difficult crossword puzzles.  These puzzles are sometimes themed, as those identified in TV guides that focus on hints to words related to television shows, while other crossword puzzles offer hints to random words, names, phrases and objects.  Crossword puzzles consist of white and black squares arranged in columns and rows.  The beginning of every column and row are numbered and the numbers reference hints to words that fit inside the white boxes. 
A single letter is placed in every white box.  Words must be spelled correct if all words are to fit appropriately.

Cryptic Crossword:
These types are popular in the UK and other regions of the world.  There are two primary kinds of cryptic crosswords; one where the word gamer is given hints that are entered into the crossword grid and another where the hints lead to answers that must be rearranged before written into the crossword grid. 
The latter forces the gamer to discover the pattern in order to solve the entire puzzle.

Cryptograms: 
These puzzles are constructed based on a code that the player must figure out.  Each letter represents another letter in the text. 
Once the code is solved, the player can then determine what the phrase or sentence is.  Sometimes the phrase or sentence is yet another clue that gives the player a hint at the solution.

Hangman:
Hangman is a game available offline as well as online and challenges the player to figure out the letters to a blank phrase before a hangman’s noose hangs a stick figure. 
Players are given a chance to guess consonants and vowels in order to figure out a phrase.  Another player keeps tracks of hits and misses.  Misses result in a piece being added to the drawing of a hangman.  If the hangman drawing is completed, the game ends and the player loses.

Jotto: 
This popular word game allows two players to choose a five-letter word that remains a secret to the player.  Proper nouns do not count and the word must be a valid word selection.  Each player then tries to guess the other player’s word by calling out guessing words. 
For example, a secret word might be something like Grace and the player guessing at the word might guess the word Grape. 
The player who is guessing is then advised that there are 4 letters that match the secret word.  The letter arrangement does not matter in this game. The guessing continues until the word is solved.  The first player to figure out the other player’s secret word wins.

Word Search:
Word searches look like a series of jumbled letters but rely on a grid of letters with words hidden within them diagonally, horizontally, vertically, and sometimes both forward and backward. 
The player receives a list of words to find, and he or she can do this at their leisure or in a timed manner to make the game challenging.  Some word searches are themed while others are merely a list of random words.

Acrostics:
Acrostics has every letter in the beginning of a word as the first letter of a word. 
For example, a famous mnemonic for music explains the Treble Clef notes rather aptly.  The lines are represented as E, G, B, D, F, and this can be remembered with the saying Empty Garbage Before Dad Flips or Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. 
Each letter representing line notes in the Treble Clef are remembered by a single word for each note.  These words are then strung together in a sentence for easy recall. 
Acrostic puzzles allow the gamer to create acrostics, unveils acrostic phrases, or identifies jumbled acrostic phrases.

Popular Games
Scrabble:
Scrabble is a game where a player uses tiles to create words and to earn as many points as possible.  Players then use tiles placed on the board to create new words for more points.

Jumble: 
Jumble is an arrangement word game where a player is offered some letters in a set that must be un-jumbled to spell out valid words. 
An example of this might be something like “rweot” which is rearranged to spell “tower.”

Acrophobia:
This game’s name may be abbreviated to Acro and referred to as Acromania. 
Acrophobia is a game that has multiple rounds in it and is available online for enjoyment.  A bot controls the game play.  In every round, the player is presented with an acronym which is generated randomly.  The goal of the player is to create as many sentences that work in an allotted time span. 
After time runs out, players vote on what the best acronyms generated are, but not their own.  An example of a created acronym would be something like L.O.V.E. that can stand for “Long Our Values Endure” or “Let Our Violence End.”  The key to making good acronyms is that the statement must be meaningful.

Wheel of Fortune: 
This popular word game, based on the TV version, is available online and off and allows players to choose consonants and vowels to figure out phrases.  A wheel is spun to give player prize amounts/ points.  The first player to solve the puzzle wins and the big winner of all rounds gets to play a bonus round.

Word Games Online
Word Link: 
This game consists of a word puzzle where the player is challenged to create as many word creations as possible by combining letters.  New letters are presented to make the game even more challenging and longer words earns the player unique tiles.

Word Battle: 
Word Battle is a popular word game where as many as four players attempt to spell out 3 words.  The game involves four rounds in all, and all rounds contain new letters to work with.  Gold colored tiles offer secrets to players that can lead to winning a game.

Word Séance: 
Players are challenged to create words with provided letters in the fastest time allotted.

Gambling Teachers, Learn Skill Games Program created these lists. 

Popular Puzzle Games
1. Chuzzles (online)
2. Bejeweled (online)
3. Sudoku (online and off)
4. Rubik's Cube
5. Deal or No Deal

Popular Word Games
1. Crosswords
2. Wheel of Fortune (online)
3. Scrabble
4. Chicktionary (online)
5. Boggle

Popular Word Games is followed by a terms-dictionary
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