THE BASICS
Spell any word you can find.
The board is five rails of train cars, and every car carries a letter tile. Any tile you can see is fair game, in any order. There are no paths to trace.
- Build a word.Tap or drag tiles into the word tray at the bottom. Words need at least two letters.
- Score it.When the tray lights up green, it's a real word. Tap it to bank the points.
- Ride the train.The tiles you used are gone, the cars slide forward, and fresh cars roll in behind them.
- Tap the Caboose.When a rail runs out of fresh tiles, a Caboose appears. Tap it to score the leftover letters on that rail and clear them away.
- Pull into the station.The match ends when no more words can be made. Your opponent played the very same board, and the higher score wins.
TIPThere's no timer. Blitz a board in two minutes, or sit with it until you find the seven-letter word you know is in there. And the Caboose pays only plain letter values, so spell what you can first.
SCORING
Long words and rare words pay more.
Every letter has a value, and the hard ones like Q, Z, J and X are worth the most. On top of the letters:
- LONG WORD. Every letter past five adds to the word's multiplier. OCTAGON beats CAT, and JETPACK beats them both.
- Rarity. Words of four letters or more earn a bonus for how rare they are: Uncommon, Rare, Epic or Legendary. The chip above your word shows the tier.
- Multiplier tiles. A letter multiplier boosts its own tile. A word multiplier boosts the whole word, and word multipliers add together: a x2 and a x3 in one word make x4.
- Double and triple cars. Some cars carry two or three tiles. Clear a whole one in a single word to double or triple that word.
TIPNot sure a word counts? Word Rails knows about 190,000 words. In the app, press and hold a word in your tray to see what it means.
SPECIAL CARS AND TILES
Some cars carry more than a letter.
A special car goes off when you use its last tile in a word. Plan for them and one word can swing the whole match.
Letter Multiplier car
Upgrades the tiles above, below and beside it with letter multipliers.
Word Multiplier car
Upgrades the tiles around it to word multipliers, so your next word there scores big.
Lightning car
Strikes its whole row and scores every tile it clears for you.
Bomb car
Blasts the tiles next to it, in the red blast zone. Blasted tiles don't score, so use the letters you need first, or blow up the ones you don't.
Wildcard
A blank tile that becomes any letter you need.
Golden tiles
In Golden Freight, the golden tiles hide a secret word. Unscramble it and spell it with all of them for a huge bonus.
Caboose
Out of words on a rail? Tap it to score the leftovers.
WATCH THE TRESTLETimothy the Trestle Troll sometimes stows away on a tile. Use his tile in a word and he pays you a toll in coins. Ignore him and he eats it. Blast him off the rails and you take what's left in his pot.
BOOSTS
Pick your boosts before you leave the platform.
Boosts are one-match helpers you equip on the pre-match screen. You earn them from trunks, quests and rewards, and you can pick some up with coins. Press and hold a boost in the game to see exactly what it does.
Multipliers and wildcards
Drop a multiplier or a wildcard on any tile you like, even one already in your word.
Short words or long ones
Plays like Triple Play, Four Play and Long Play reward the word lengths you like to spell.
Caboose multipliers
Make a Caboose sweep count for double, triple or more.
XP Booster
Earn extra XP from the match, win or lose.
MATCHES
Same board. Better words win.
Every match puts you on the identical board another rider played, so a lucky deal never decides it. You never wait for anyone's move: play your board, and the result arrives in the Depot, your inbox on the line, once it's in. The higher score wins, and a tie is a dead heat.
Tap PLAY and the game deals one of four boards:
- Matchup. The classic. A full board, no twists, best score wins.
- Golden Freight. A secret word hides in the golden tiles. Find it for a massive bonus.
- Bullet Train. A short board built for speed. Finish in under a minute for the FULL STEAM credit.
- Short Line. Small words pay big here, and everyday words earn a bonus. Long-word and rarity bonuses are off.
Want a particular opponent? Challenge a friend and you'll both play the very same letters, then rematch after a close one.
THE INSPECTION TICKET
Win or lose, every run gets graded.
After each match, the Inspection Ticket stamps your run with a grade. You're graded against the board you actually played, measured against how strong players would do on it, so a tough deal never counts against you. Finish the match and you're guaranteed at least a C.
DEPOT
COACH
EXPRESS
FIRST CLASS
GOLDENCredits call out your best plays. A few to chase:
- LONG HAUL
- A word of seven letters or more.
- DOUBLE-DECKER
- A word of ten letters or more.
- PRECIOUS CARGO
- An Epic or Legendary word.
- ALL ABOARD
- A clean finish: no Caboose had to sweep a letter.
- THINK TANK
- A standout score for this board.
- FULL STEAM
- A fast finish.
- WORDSMITH
- Five or more words that all pull their weight.
- SOLID GOLD
- You spelled the golden word.
Better grades earn more XP. A grade never changes your score or who wins.
THE WORD RAILS DAILY
One free board a day. Beat the Conductor.
The Daily is a free Word Rails puzzle in your browser at wordrails.com, no download needed. Everyone gets the same board, and a new one arrives at midnight, your local time.
- Just you and the letters. It's a full board with no boosts and no troll, so it's the same challenge for everyone.
- Beat the Conductor. The Conductor plays every board first. Your run is graded from D to S like any match, and you'll see whether you beat the Conductor's score and how you ranked.
- One scored run a day. Your run saves as you go, so you can close the tab and continue later.
- Keep your streak. Play every day to grow it. Sign in with Google or Apple to keep it safe across devices.
- Dare a friend. CHALLENGE A FRIEND sends a link to today's board, signed with your name if you like. Your friend plays the same letters, and you become rivals on each other's boards.
- Share your ticket. SHARE sends a picture of your score and grade with a link to play.
ON A KEYBOARDType a letter to pick that tile, Enter to score the word, Backspace to take back a letter and Esc to clear. Space taps the top Caboose, and 1 to 5 tap the Caboose on that rail.
PLAY TODAY'S DAILY
PROGRESS
Climb the rails.
- XP and levels. Every match earns XP, win or lose, with more for wins, better grades and streaks. Level up to 100, then Prestige for a permanent star, up to ten times.
- Weekly leagues. Each week you're grouped with other riders and ranked on your weekly score. Finish near the top to move up, from Bronze through Silver, Gold and Sapphire to Diamond. Finish near the bottom and you slip down.
- Streaks. Finish a match every day for bonus XP that grows with your streak. A Streak Shield covers a missed day, and you get a free one every week.
- Trunks. Earn reward trunks from level-ups, leagues, quests and events, from Canvas up to Presidential. Inside: coins, boosts, avatars, frames, nameplates and stamps. Trunks are never sold.
- Every day. Daily Rewards, quests, a Word of the Day that pays extra, a daily special like Mystery Word or Riddle Rail, and themed days like Multiplier Monday and Wildcard Wednesday.
- Every week. A featured event rolls in: race across the map in Rail Rally, pull the rope for your crew in Station Skirmish, and more on rotation. Seasonal Lines like The Pumpkin Pike roll through with the calendar.
FRIENDS AND MEMBERSHIP
Ride together.
Add friends with a link
Share your invite link or your RAIL- code, or tap any rider's avatar to add them. You're rewarded in the Depot when a friend you invited joins.
Same board, head to head
Challenge a friend to the very same board. Results, rematches, friend requests and rewards all land in the Depot.
Free, with optional ads
Word Rails is free. Free players see ads between matches, and rewarded ads are always your choice.
Ride as a Conductor
Conductors ride ad-free, with member perks like bonus XP and bigger daily rewards.
QUESTIONS
Word Rails FAQ
Is Word Rails free?
Yes. Word Rails is free on iPhone, iPad and Android and supported by ads, and the Daily is free in your browser. Optional purchases include coins and a Conductor membership, which removes ads and adds member perks.
Is there a time limit?
No. There's no turn timer and no waiting on your opponent. Bullet Train rewards a fast finish, but you can always take your time.
Why can't I see my opponent's score yet?
You played a board another rider already played, and the result is revealed in the Depot shortly after your match. Watch your inbox. Challenges with friends show as soon as you've both played.
How do I add friends?
Share your invite link or your RAIL- code from the Friends screen, or tap a rider's avatar to add them. A friend who opens your link without the app gets a page with your code and the store links.
Does the Daily count toward my app progress?
The Daily is for bragging rights: it doesn't give XP or coins. Sign in with the same Google or Apple account you use in the app to keep your Daily streak with your Word Rails account.
Do I need an internet connection?
Yes. Matches, events and the Daily all need a connection.
How do I delete my account?
In the app, open Settings from the gear on the main menu, then Privacy, then Account Deletion. For the web Daily and other options, see Account Deletion.
How do I get in touch?
Email hello@wordrails.com. We're a small team, we play alongside you, and we read what you send us.
