Same seven letters. Sixty seconds.
How to play Anagram Race with a friend
- Get the lettersYou both get the same seven letters. Shuffle mixes them into a new order whenever you like.
- Spell a wordTap letters to spell it, then tap Enter. Three letters is the minimum.
- Go longEvery extra letter is worth much more, and a word that uses all seven is the big one.
- See every wordWhen the minute is up you see both lists, the words you both found, and the best words nobody found.
One seven-letter word is worth twenty short ones
The points rise steeply: 100 for three letters, 300 for four, 600 for five, 1,000 for six and 2,000 for all seven.
Read that as a rate. Twenty three-letter words score 2,000, and nobody types twenty words in sixty seconds. One seven-letter word scores the same in a single entry. A six is worth ten threes.
So the race is not about how many words you know. It is about finding the long word early enough to cash it, and then using what is left of the minute well.
A long word is a mine, not a single find
Every long word you find has shorter words inside it, and they are all built from the same seven letters. Find PIRATES and you are looking at PIRATE, TRIPE, STRIP, PARTIES, TAPIR and a handful of threes, each one scored on its own.
That is the shape of a strong round: hunt for one long word first, then mine it. The short words you find on the way down are nearly free, because you already know the letters work together.
When nothing comes, hit Shuffle. The letters do not change, but the order does, and a new order shows you endings and pairs the old one hid.
Live, later, on one phone or in Messages
Live, you both race the same sixty seconds at the same time. You see their score climb, never their words, so nobody can copy.
A move at a time, you play your minute now. Your friend gets the same letters later and races your score as it climbs, just as fast as you got it — so it still feels like a race, not a target.
On one phone, two players can play on the same screen. And on an iPhone, Anagram Race also plays inside Messages.
Three things that actually help
- Look for endings first: -S, -ED, -ER and -ING. An ending plus a stem is how most long words are found.
- Once you have a six or a seven, mine it. The shorter words inside it are almost free points.
- Stuck for more than five seconds? Hit Shuffle. A new order is cheaper than staring.
Anagram Race questions
How does Anagram Race score words?+
By length. Three letters scores 100, four 300, five 600, six 1,000, and a word using all seven letters scores 2,000. A word needs at least three letters to count.
Can my friend see my words during the race?+
No. During a live race you only see each other's score climb. Both word lists are shown at the end, with the words you both found and the best ones nobody found.
Do we have to play at the same time?+
No. Play your sixty seconds now and your friend gets the same letters whenever they open the app. They race your score as it climbs, at the speed you got it.