How to play
Guess the hidden word before you run out of tries. You always get one more try than the word is long — a six-letter word gives you seven guesses.
- Type a word using the on-screen keyboard.
- Press return to submit it. Only real words are accepted.
- Each tile changes colour to show how close you were.
- Use those clues to narrow things down.
- You win when every tile shows the “correct position” colour.
By default each game starts with one letter already revealed. You can turn that off in Settings.
What the colours mean
The exact colours depend on the theme you pick in Settings, but the meaning is always the same — and the legend at the bottom of the game screen always shows the current theme's colours.
- Match — the letter is in the word, in that exact position.
- Near — the letter is in the word, but somewhere else.
- Miss — the letter isn't in the word at all.
The on-screen keyboard is colour-coded the same way, so you can see at a glance which letters you've already ruled out.
Hints
A hint reveals one letter of the answer on the hint row above the board. Sometimes it's placed in its correct position; sometimes it tells you the letter is in the word but shows it elsewhere. Later hints can upgrade an earlier one into its correct position.
- Two free hints every day, for everyone. They reset at midnight, local time.
- Watch a short ad for one more. Once your free hints are gone you can choose to watch a rewarded ad in exchange for a single hint, up to five per day. This is always your choice — LottaWord never interrupts a game with an ad you didn't ask for.
- Unlimited Hints is a one-time purchase that removes the daily limits and the ads entirely, for every future game.
If you close an ad before it finishes, you aren't charged a hint — nothing is deducted and you can try again.
Settings
- Word length — anywhere from three to eight letters. Changing it starts a new game.
- Theme — Ocean, Forest, Sunset, Berry or Classic.
- Background style — a gradient, or a flat colour.
- Show initial hint — whether each new game begins with a letter already revealed.
- Restore Purchases — if you've bought Unlimited Hints and reinstalled, or moved to a new device, this brings it back at no cost.
Tips
- Open with a word rich in vowels.
- Common consonants — R, S, T, L, N — rule out a lot quickly.
- Don't reuse a letter the board has already greyed out.
- “Near” letters are the most useful clue you get: the letter is right, so concentrate on where it goes.
- Watch the keyboard colours rather than re-reading the whole board.
FAQ
Is there a new word every day?
No — LottaWord isn't a once-a-day game. A fresh word is chosen at random every
time you start a new round, so you can play as much as you want.
My guess is a real word but wasn't accepted.
The dictionary is large but not infinite, and it leans away from proper nouns
and very obscure spellings. If you think a word is missing, email us and we'll
look at it.
Where do the words and definitions come from?
The Wordnik dictionary database, bundled with the app — so definitions work
without a network connection.
Do my stats sync between my iPhone and iPad?
Not currently. Your games, statistics and settings are stored only on the
device you played them on, and deleting the app removes them.
I bought Unlimited Hints but it isn't showing.
Open Settings and tap Restore Purchases. Make sure you're signed in
with the same Apple Account used for the purchase. Unlimited Hints is a
one-time purchase and is Family Sharing enabled.
No ad is offered when I run out of free hints.
An ad has to finish loading before it can be offered, which needs a network
connection. If you're offline, or no ad is available right now, the option is
hidden rather than shown as a broken button. You can still buy Unlimited Hints.
Can I turn ads off?
There are no banner or interstitial ads to turn off — the only ads in
LottaWord are the optional rewarded ones you choose to watch for a hint.
Buying Unlimited Hints removes those too.
Privacy
Your games, statistics and settings are stored on your device and are not sent to us. We run no analytics and operate no accounts.
LottaWord shows rewarded ads through Google AdMob, and only when you choose to watch one. To serve and measure those ads, Google collects device and advertising data — its practices are described in Google's privacy policy. LottaWord does not ask for App Tracking Transparency permission and does not track you across other companies' apps or websites.
Purchases are handled entirely by Apple; we never see your payment details. See the full privacy policy.
Support
Questions, bugs, or word disputes? Email info@shamasoftware.com. We aim to reply within two business days. It helps to mention your device, your iOS version, and the word length you were playing.