How to Play Textris
Welcome to Textris!
Textris combines the falling blocks of Tetris with word-building fun. It's a unique word puzzle game where you form words as letters fall from the top of the screen.
Ready to challenge your vocabulary and quick thinking skills?
Basic Gameplay
Letters Fall From Above
Letters fall one at a time from the top of the screen. You need to decide where to place each letter to form words. Your goal is to form words of 4 or more letters!
Controls
Keyboard Controls
- ← Move left
- → Move right
- ↓ Move down faster
- Space Drop instantly
- L Lock letter at current position
Touch Controls
On mobile devices, use the on-screen buttons:
The "Lock Here" button freezes a letter in place (blue color). Locked letters won't fall when words below them are cleared!
Note: "Lock Here" can't be used on the top row.
Forming Words
Create words in horizontal or vertical directions. Words can be read forwards or backwards!
Remember: Words must be at least 4 letters long.
Locked Letters Strategy
The "Lock Here" button lets you freeze letters in place, shown in blue. These locked letters won't fall when words below them are cleared.
This is a powerful strategic tool! You can create "floating" structures of letters that remain in place even as words are cleared below them.
Only clearing a word that includes the locked letter will remove it from the grid.
Clearing Words
When you form a valid word, the letters disappear and you earn points! This creates space for more letters and increases your score.
After a word is cleared, any non-locked letters above will fall down to fill the empty spaces, potentially creating new word combinations!
Scoring Points
Each letter in a word is worth 10 points.
- 4-letter word = 40 points
- 5-letter word = 50 points
- 6-letter word = 60 points
- And so on!
Your level increases every 250 points, making letters fall faster!
Game Over
The game ends when the grid fills up and no more letters can be placed. Try to get the highest score possible!
Your high score is saved locally, so you can always try to beat your personal best.
Strategic Tips
- Plan ahead! Look at the "Next" letters to make strategic placements.
- Use the "Lock Here" button to create stable structures in the middle of the grid.
- Lock letters in place to save them for future word combinations.
- Try to keep your grid as empty as possible to give yourself more options.
- Remember that words can be formed backwards too!
- Longer words give more points, but don't ignore shorter words if they help clear space.
- Use the hard drop (space bar or Drop button) to place letters quickly when you're confident.