Is there an unlimited version of Waffle?
Yes, this page. Finish a grid, tap Next puzzle, and a new one loads straight away. There is no countdown and no daily cap. Switch between the 5×5 and 7×7 settings above the board whenever you like.
How big is the puzzle pool?
| 5×5 setting | 7×7 setting | |
|---|---|---|
| Grids in the pool | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Different words used | 1,907 | 2,822 |
| Green tiles at the start, on average | 5.3 | 9.4 |
| Swaps given / swaps for five stars | 15 / 10 | 25 / 20 |
Each time you ask for a grid, one is picked at random from the pool. With thousands on each setting, you are unlikely to see the same grid twice for a long time.
Are these grids as good as the daily ones?
They come from the same generator as the daily puzzle and pass the same checks. Every word is a real, common English word. Each grid has only one answer. And each one takes exactly 10 swaps on 5×5, or 20 on 7×7, to solve perfectly. The Unlimited grids are a separate set, so none of them match a daily puzzle.
How is Unlimited different from the daily game and the archive?
| Unlimited | Daily | Archive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How many grids | As many as you like | One 5×5 and one 7×7 a day | Every past daily grid |
| Counts towards your streak | No | Yes | No |
| Progress saved | For this visit only | Yes, on your device | Yes, on your device |
| Hints page | No | Yes | Yes |
| Same grid for everyone | No, picked at random | Yes | Yes |
Use Unlimited to practise, the daily game for your streak, and the archive to catch up on days you missed.
Why practise with Unlimited?
The daily grid gives you one try a day. That is great for a streak, but slow for learning. In Unlimited you can play ten grids in the time it takes to wait for one daily puzzle. You see the same kinds of patterns again and again: shared corner tiles, repeated letters, common word endings. After a while you spot them without trying, and that is what turns three star solves into five star ones.
How to read your result
When you finish, you see how many swaps you used and how many stars you earned. Stars count the swaps you had left, so they tell you how close you got to a perfect solve.
| Swaps used | Swaps left | Stars |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 11 | 4 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| 12 | 3 | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| 13 | 2 | ⭐⭐ |
| 14 | 1 | ⭐ |
| 15 | 0 | 0, but solved |
| Not solved in 15 | 0 | 0, game over |
On the 7×7 setting the numbers shift up by ten: 20 swaps earns five stars and 25 earns none. Unlimited results are not saved to your stats, so every grid is a fresh, free try.
Letter patterns worth learning
- E is everywhere. It makes up 13.4% of all letters on our 5×5 daily grids, more than any other letter.
- Most words have two vowels. Vowels are 41.4% of all letters, which works out to about two in every five letter word.
- Watch for repeated letters. 93% of our daily grids have a word with the same letter twice, such as SWELL or STEEP.
- Learn the top endings. ER and ED are the most common endings. Try them first when a word's last tiles are unclear.
Playing on a phone, tablet or computer
The board resizes to fit any screen. On a touch screen, tap one tile and then another to swap them, or drag one tile onto the other. With a mouse you can click or drag in the same way. With a keyboard, press Tab to move between tiles and Enter to pick them. Nothing to install: the game runs in any up to date web browser.
Is Unlimited suitable for kids and classrooms?
The words come from a list of common English words, and we remove rude, violent and upsetting ones. There is no chat, no sign up and no personal data needed to play. The site does show ads, which come from ad networks, so we suggest an adult checks the page first when it is used in class.
Practice drills that work
The no swap read
Load a grid and name all the words before you touch a tile. Only then start swapping. This builds the habit that matters most for five stars.
The pair hunt
Before each swap, ask one question: will both tiles turn green? If not, look for a partner tile that makes it true. Count how many of your swaps fix two tiles. On a 5×5 grid, a perfect solve usually has five or more of them.
The five in a row
Play five grids back to back and add up your stars. The top score is 25. Write the total down and try to beat it next time.
The speed round
Time how long each grid takes you. Speed is not part of the score, but faster reading means you spot pairs sooner, and that saves swaps.
A four week plan to reach five stars
- Week 1: play three 5×5 grids a day. Aim only to finish within 15 swaps.
- Week 2: add the no swap read. Name every word before you start.
- Week 3: add the pair hunt. Aim for four stars or more.
- Week 4: try one 7×7 grid a day on top of your 5×5 grids. Take your time and use all 25 swaps if you need them.
Then take what you learned to the daily Deluxe grid. The rules and tips page shows a real grid solved in 10 swaps if you want to see the method in action.
Tips for the 7×7 setting
- Start with the words that have the most greens. They narrow down the letters left for the rest.
- Check word endings first. ED and ER are the most common endings on our 7×7 grids.
- Every shared tile must fit two words. Test each guess against the crossing word before you swap.
- Read the Deluxe guide for a full plan.