Whirly Word 4+

Whirly Word is exactly the game I was looking for to replace my former favorite word game whose ads became longer than each game. I love that there’s a dictionary to build vocabulary, and that I can often completely solve the basic level games, but enjoy the challenge. I love that it is a simple interface and there are no ads. I wish the instructions were a little better. I don’t know what the badges mean besides that the lower numbers are better. The vocabulary leans heavy on the harder words being biological terms, unusual spellings, or abbreviations and proper nouns. For instance, anil, Tao, and noncom are valid, but ade and guyot are not. I checked the online Scrabble dictionary for these words, and all were valid except ade, which seems strange, because an ade isn’t unusual for a fruit drink. I must surmise, then, that all word games are subject to the knowledge and biases of their creators. I do wish it were possible to access the full Whirly Word dictionary between games, and also add words to the dictionary for our local use, but I can live with that.

I’ve been playing this game for a few years and have found that certain words are foreign words, yet if I try a commonly used word other than an English word it won’t work. Many very obscure words are Arabic and never used by anyone not fluent in those languages. Too often I try words that are rejected only to find them when I go to the next round. It’s totally frustrating!

I purchased this game on June 12, 2010. Yesterday, December 5, 2022, I completed my 1,000th puzzle—same game without stopping first on an iPod Touch (remember them?) and then continuing on at least five different iPhones through those years. First, a big thank you to the developer for continuing to support this game for so long! You are a rare find.

Second, I love to do one or two puzzles on this every now and then (obviously). I am so glad there is no timer or punishment for incorrect guesses. I have enough pressure in my life and don’t need stress from my games!

Third, I love the fact this works with no internet or cellular connection. Many games crash out when you can’t get a signal! I have used this app deep in the woods and way up in the sky on an airplane over the past 12 years. It does not matter if that dreaded NO SIGNAL message appears; this game works like a charm.

Fourth, thanks for having the dictionary so easily available. I feel like I continue to discover new words when I think no word can fit in alphabetically, but one does! I have taught high school English for years and continue to learn new words.

Thanks again for what I would say is just about a perfect game. (I guess I sometimes wish I could add my own six-letter words, but no big deal.)

THANK YOU!