Daily puzzle
How the daily puzzle works
One bottle a day, with the same tiles for everyone. Use every tile and call Splash! when you are done. Here is how your Score adds up, with parts you can play with.
Play today's bottleThe short version
Use every tile
Use every tile in one crossword. Then call Splash!
Score your words
Every word scores its letter points. Squares from today's rules multiply them.
Be quick
Be quick too: time points shrink slowly the longer you take.
One tile must sit on the cork, the square in the middle.
The hidden message
Every bottle hides one word in its tiles: the message. You do not have to find it, and you can use every tile without it. When you call Splash!, the end screen shows it, and it glows if your grid holds it.
It gives no points, with one exception. Once a month a Message in the Sand day comes, and then the message on your grid is worth +200. Please keep the message a secret until the next bottle.
The Score in one line
Score = your words ×10 + 150 for each kept rule + time points. Each hint takes 200 off. Words that add up to 19.8 give 198, and every other line is ×10 already.
Score builder
Type your words, or use the example. Then walk through the Score one step at a time.
- Kept Sandbar: +150
YET
- Y 4
- E 1
- T 1
61= 6
YET: tiles 6 x word mult x1
All steps
Try moving your grid
The squares stay put, so the same words can score more in another place. These are the moves of the game's Move grid button.
Letter points
Every tile has points, from 1 to 10. A tile that is rare in the bottle and rare in words is worth more. Each language has its own table.
Letter points
Pick a language and tap a tile to see why it is worth what it is.
Q is worth 9 points
2 tiles of Q in a set of 144
In 0.6 % of common words
Few tiles and few words with it means more points. Many tiles and many words means fewer.
Bonus squares
Squares only come from today's rules, and at most one rule a day puts them on the grid. Each square sits in a fixed spot around the cork.
Word mult stops at x4. In the Score a word mult never goes past x4. Two Word x3 squares under one word give x9, but the Score counts x4. The Cabana score has no stop.
Square patterns
Pick a square rule, then type a word and move it around. The score changes as you go.
Twin Palms: Two Tile x3 squares, 3 squares either side of the cork.
Drag the word, tap a square or use the arrows.
Letters only, up to 13
HARBOUR scores 34
241+ 1024 x 1
- Tile x3: the tile on it scores 3 times its points.
Word mult stops at x4
Tap the letters to put Word squares under them.
Score: x9, stopped at x466
Cabana score: word mult x9, no stop136
Long words
A word of 5 letters or more gets bonus points, added after the mult.
- 5 letters+2
- 6 letters+5
- 7 letters+10
- 8 letters+15
- 9 letters+20
- 10 letters+25
Rules worth +150
Each day draws 2 rules, 3 on Sunday. Some rules ask something of your grid. Keep one of those and it gives +150. Breaking a rule never stops you from calling Splash! at the end.
Rules you can keep for +150
Your grid in the score builder keeps 7 of 11. Change it there and the ticks follow. Change the grid
- SandbarNo 2-letter words.kept
- Long LineMake one word of 6 letters or more.kept
- MastMake one word of 7 letters or more.kept
- Short WavesNo word longer than 5 letters.broken
- Calm WaterUse 4 words or fewer, 5 with 19 tiles or more.kept
- LagoonFit your grid in 7 x 7 squares, 9 x 9 with 19 tiles or more.broken
- Rope BridgeStretch your grid 11 squares across or down.broken
- Crossed OarsCross two words of 5 letters or more.kept
- StaircaseHave words of 3, 4 and 5 letters on your grid.broken
- RiptideCall Splash! within 5 minutes.kept
- Silent BottleNo hints today.kept
Every rule in the bottle
Each rule slot of the day rolls a tier first, then picks a rule of that tier. The coin in the bottle shows the tier.
Common
72 % of rules drawnA plain coin in the rule's colour.
- LighthouseThe cork is a Word x2 square.
- Twin PalmsTwo Tile x3 squares, 3 squares either side of the cork.
- Four ShellsFour Tile x2 squares around the cork.
- LifebuoyThe four squares next to the cork are Tile x2.
- SandcastleFour Tile x2 squares in a block. Fill all four for +100.
- PierTwo Tile x2 squares lead out to a Word x2 square.
- KiteTwo Word x2 squares far out on the grid.
- Sandbar+150No 2-letter words.
- Long Line+150Make one word of 6 letters or more.
- Short Waves+150No word longer than 5 letters.
- Calm Water+150Use 4 words or fewer, 5 with 19 tiles or more.
- Lagoon+150Fit your grid in 7 x 7 squares, 9 x 9 with 19 tiles or more.
- RockA rock sits near the cork. No tile can go there.
- SpyglassYour first hint today is free.
Uncommon
21 % of rules drawnA dotted ring inside the coin.
- Buried TreasureOne Word x3 square, 4 squares out on a diagonal.
- StarfishCross two words on a starfish and both score Word x2.
- SunbedsA word of 6 letters or more on a sunbed scores Word x2.
- Pearl BedEach word through a pearl gets +10.
- Sun LetterToday's sun letter is Tile x2 wherever you play it.
- High TideA word lying fully on the wet row scores Word x2.
- Crab RaidA tile on the crab square scores 0.
- Mast+150Make one word of 7 letters or more.
- Rope Bridge+150Stretch your grid 11 squares across or down.
- Low TideFewer vowels than usual in today's bottle.
- Heavy AnchorA hard tile washed up today.
- ShipwreckA word already lies on the cork. Build from it.
- Fog Bank4 tiles stay face down until you place 8.
- Crossed Oars+150Cross two words of 5 letters or more.
- Staircase+150Have words of 3, 4 and 5 letters on your grid.
- Riptide+150Call Splash! within 5 minutes.
- Silent Bottle+150No hints today.
- DriftwoodOne wild tile. It can be any letter and scores 0.
- Hermit CrabOnce, swap a vowel for a consonant, or the other way round.
- Flip-FlopTurn an M into a W, or an N into a Z, as often as you like.
- Treasure ChestBefore you start, pick 1 of 3 extra tiles.
- Big Catch2 more tiles today.
- Light Load2 fewer tiles today.
Rare
Rare6 % of rules drawnA second rim and a shine. At most one Rare or Legendary rule a day.
- Bottle PostOne word that touches both corks gets +25.
- Full Net5 more tiles today.
- LanternsEach word through a lantern gets +15.
Legendary
Legendary1 % of rules drawnA gold rim and a slow sparkle. A Shipload comes about 5 times a year.
- Shipload10 more tiles today. A big one.
How a day draws its rules
- 2 rules a day, 3 on Sunday, from the whole bank.
- At most 1 rule a day puts squares on the grid.
- No 2 rules of one day do the same kind of thing.
- Some rules never come together, like Short Waves and Long Line.
- A Shipload day is bigger, not harder: no tricky rule comes with it.
Time points
There is no countdown. The clock starts when your tiles flip and stops when you call Splash!. Fast is worth more, but time points never drop to 0.
Time points
Type a time or drag the dot. The curve shows how many points that time is worth.
18 tiles · Par 3:45
Minutes and seconds, like 2:40
2:40 is worth 584 time pointsTwice as fast: 738. Half as fast: 413.
Par is the time for 500 points. It grows 15 s with each tile over 15.
For the curious
Time points = 1,000 x par / (par + your time). At par that is 500. It never reaches 0.
Ties
The same total means the same rank. If 3 players share 4th place, all 3 are 4th and the next player is 7th.
Hints
Stuck? A hint shows you one word that works. Each hint takes 200 off your Score. On a Spyglass day your first hint is free, and on a Silent Bottle day you keep +150 for using none.
The Cabana score
Signed in, you also get a Cabana score. It is the same grid, plus your own letter tiles and 3 Cabana tiles you put in the bottle. You buy them with Tickets from the bottle. The Cabana never changes your tiles, the rules or your Score.
The order
- Tile: letter points, plus your +points and Fire, times the tile mults.
- Word: its tiles added, times the word mult, plus the word bonus. Crimson, Anchor, Sunkissed and Surf Wax add to the word mult; Glass multiplies it.
- Cabana score: the words, kept rules, hints and time, plus the points of your Cabana tiles from left to right.
The 7 letter types
Each letter tile you own can take one type, once and forever. Its face takes the colour of its shelf.
- Crimson+0.5 mult to every word that holds it10 levels · from 250 Tickets
- Fire+1 to each other tile of every word that holds it5 levels · from 100 Tickets
- Gold+2 Tickets each day it is in your grid3 levels · from 150 Tickets
- GlassWord mult x2 on every word that holds it. It may crack (1 in 8) and lose a level3 levels · from 250 Tickets
- Anchor+1 mult to both words where it sits on a crossing4 levels · from 200 Tickets
- Sunkissed+2 mult to every word that holds it and goes through a rule square3 levels · from 200 Tickets
- Surf Wax+1.5 mult to every word of 7+ letters that holds it3 levels · from 200 Tickets
Cabana calculator
The same grid with your own tiles. Tap a tile on the grid to give it a type, a level or +points. Then pick 3 Cabana tiles.
Tap a tile in the grid to change it
Score1,979
Cabana score3,349
Jackpot! Your Q brings 26 % of the Cabana score.
Every step
YET81= 8
- Y: 4 +1 Fire = 5
- T: 1 +1 Fire = 2
EQUIPMENT643+ 20 for length= 212
- Q: 9 +4 +1 Fire, Tile x3 = 42
- U: 2 +1 Fire = 3
- I: 1 +1 Fire = 2
- P: 4 +1 Fire = 5
- M: 4 +1 Fire = 5
- E: 1 +1 Fire = 2
- N: 1 +1 Fire = 2
- T: 1 +1 Fire = 2
- Word x2
- Crimson +0.5
MEDIA92+ 2 for length= 20
- Word x2
- Words 240 ×10 = 2,400Your words are added up first, then ×10. Every other line is ×10 already.
- Kept rule: Sandbar+150
- Time+529
- Tiki Torch (in season)+270
- Lollipop+0
- Ice Pop (in season)+0
- Total3,349
Letter workbench
A sandbox with pretend Tickets. Buy a letter, give it points or a type, and see what it does to a word.
3,000 pretend Tickets
Buy a letter
Your tiles
No tiles yet. Buy one above.
Common solutions and privacy
After you finish, you see how many players found the same words. We only count. Names never show, and a solution shows only when 3 or more players found it.
Common solutions
Pick a day. The bars show how many players found each set of words.
Made-up numbers, to show how it looks.
+ 23 one-of-a-kind solutions
Counts only. Names never show.
Fair play
- The tiles leave our server only when you open the bottle.
- One try per bottle. A reload keeps your clock running from the first start.
- When you call Splash!, the server checks every tile, every word and the time.
- The Score is worked out on the server, the same way for everyone.
Questions
Is the daily puzzle the same for everyone?
Yes. Everyone who plays in your language gets the same tiles and the same rules that day.
When does a new bottle wash up?
At midnight where you are. The number of the puzzle is the same all over the world.
Do I need an account?
No. You can play right away. Sign in to keep your streak and your Tickets on every device.
Why do my words go ×10?
So the Score has no decimals. Your words add up to something like 19.8, and ×10 makes that 198. Every other line, like +150 for a kept rule, is ×10 already.
Can I play an old bottle?
Not yet. Old bottles show one way to solve them and the most common solutions.
Words you will see
- Cork
- The square in the middle. Your grid must cover it, and some rules put points on it.
- Message
- The word hidden in the day's tiles. It shows after Splash! and gives no points, except on a Message in the Sand day (+200).
- Par
- The day's target time. Finish faster than par for more time points, slower for fewer.
- Kept
- A rule you followed on your grid. Each kept rule is worth +150.
- Mult
- Short for multiplier. Tile x2 doubles one letter, Word x2 doubles a whole word.
- Words ×10
- Your words add up first, like 19.8, then go ×10 to 198. Every other part of the Score is shown ×10 already, so the lines add up to the total.
- Tables
- The day's leaderboards. Signed-in players with a checked email are on them; guests are not.
- Rare find
- Your words were a solution almost nobody else found that day.
- Ghost
- Yesterday's grid fades in under today's on the end screen, so you can compare.
- Tickets
- What you win for each bottle you finish. Spend them in the Cabana. A guest's Tickets wait on the device until you sign in.
- Cabana tiles
- Tiles you put in your bottle for the Cabana score. Everyone starts with 3, and you can buy more with Tickets.
- In season
- One shelf of Cabana tiles each day. Its tiles are 1.5 times as strong that day.