How to Play ZigWord: Rules and Beginner Tips

ZigWord is a calm word puzzle from Oakever Games. Each level shows a small, irregular grid of letter tiles over a nature photo, plus a theme such as House Pets or Scuba Gear. Your job is to find every hidden word that fits the theme.

The basic rules

1. Read the theme. Every answer in a main level belongs to it. Level 1, for example, is House Pets with CAT, DOG and HAMSTER.
2. Swipe across neighbouring tiles. Move horizontally or vertically from one letter to the next. A word can turn corners, which is where the zigzag name comes from.
3. Words can run backward. A path may spell its word from either end, so check both directions.
4. Clear the board. The level is complete when you have found all required answers. Levels in this version have between 3 and 6 answers.
5. Find extras. Spelling a real word that is not on the list gives you a bonus.

What you’ll see

Grids are compact: the largest boards are 8 rows high. The 3,000 main levels contain 14,992 answers, and the longest answer is BASKETBALL (10 letters).

Beginner tips

• Start with the longest word you can think of for the theme; it uses up many tiles and narrows the rest.
• Corners and tiles with only one neighbour are usually the start or end of a word.
• When only a few tiles remain, the last answer is made from exactly those letters.
• Stuck? Our level pages give hints one step at a time before showing the answer.