Rearrange Letters gives you a jumbled string and a clue, and the clue is not always the same kind of thing. One round asks you to name what is in a drawing, the next gives you a definition, the one after that describes a film without naming it.
Switching between those categories is the point. A definition puts you in dictionary mode, a picture puts you in naming mode, and a riddle puts you somewhere else entirely, so the game keeps resetting the way you are thinking rather than letting you settle into a rhythm.
Nothing here is timed in a way that punishes you, and the whole thing can be played with one hand, which makes it the sort of puzzle you can do while your attention is only partly on it.
How to play Rearrange Letters
Each round shows a set of scrambled letters and a clue underneath or beside them.
- Drag the letters into the empty spaces to build your answer.
- Take a letter back out if it is in the wrong place.
- The answer confirms itself when it is correct and complete.
- Choose a category before you start, or select the mixed option to get all of them in one run.
The categories
- Riddles, where the clue is a description you have to interpret.
- Films, where you are naming a title from a hint.
- Pictures, where a drawing stands in for the word.
- Definitions, where you are given the meaning and need the word.
The mixed mode
Mixed is harder than any single category, and not because the words are harder. It is harder because you cannot prepare your approach before reading the clue, so every round starts with a moment of adjustment.
It is also the mode most people end up preferring, since a run of pure definitions becomes monotonous faster than the mixture does.
Tips and strategy
Work from the letters, not the clue
The instinct is to solve the clue first and then check whether the letters fit. Reverse that when you are stuck.
Look at what you have been given. An unusual letter narrows the field violently, since very few words carry a J, a Q, a Z or two Ys. Starting from the rare letter and asking what could contain it is far quicker than searching your memory for everything the clue might mean.
Count before you think
The number of blanks is the strongest clue on the screen and the one people skip.
A four letter answer to a film clue is a different search from a nine letter one, and knowing the length before you start thinking removes most of the wrong avenues before you walk down them.
Build the ending first
Answers cluster around a small set of endings. If you have the letters for ing, ion, ed, ly or er sitting in the pool, park them at the end of the answer and solve the front.
This works because the front of a word carries the meaning and the back carries the grammar, and the clue is about meaning.
Pictures are literal
The drawings are not cryptic. They show the thing the word names, and the trap is overthinking them, deciding the picture of a bank must mean a river bank because that would be clever.
Take the picture at face value first. If the obvious name does not fit the letter count, then start looking for a synonym.
Riddles are not
The riddle rounds are the opposite, and they will punish a literal reading. When the letters clearly do not support the obvious answer, the clue is pointing at a second meaning of one of its own words.
Rereading the clue with fresh emphasis on a different word is usually enough to break it open.
Playing it slowly
There is no pressure to be fast, and the game is better when you are not. A puzzle you sit with for a minute is more satisfying than one you brute force by dragging letters until something sticks.
If you want the harder version of the same experience, cover the clue and try to solve the anagram cold. It is often possible, and it makes the clue feel like a reward rather than an instruction.
Playing it with somebody else
Anagram puzzles are unusual in that a second person genuinely helps. Two people looking at the same jumbled letters see different arrangements, because whatever grouping your eye locked onto first is exactly the grouping you cannot let go of.
Reading the letters aloud to someone who is not looking at the screen works even better. Stripped of the visual arrangement, they hear a set of sounds rather than a picture, and sounds are how most people store vocabulary.
This also makes it a reasonable game to play with a child. The picture and definition categories are approachable at almost any reading level, and the film clues give an adult something to do while a younger player works on the drawings.
None of this is required. The game is built for one person and a quiet few minutes, and it works perfectly well that way.
More letter games here
Word Scramble is the pure anagram with no clue attached, Anagram Crossword puts the same idea in a grid, and 4 Pics 1 Word is the picture category on its own. More in word and puzzle.
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Developer
Rearrange Letters is made in house, and this is its home. It is not licensed from anyone else.
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Frequently asked questions
What kinds of clues does Rearrange Letters use?
Riddles, film titles, drawings and plain definitions. You can pick one category or take the mixed mode, which shuffles all of them together.
How do I move the letters?
Drag them into the answer slots and drag them back out if you change your mind. The whole game works with one hand.
Is there a time limit?
No pressure of that kind. The game is built to be played slowly, which is why it suits half attention better than most word games.
What should I do when the clue means nothing to me?
Work from the letters instead. A rare letter such as J, Q or Z narrows the possible answers far faster than reasoning about the clue does.
Why is mixed mode harder?
Not because the words are harder, but because you cannot settle into one way of thinking. Every round changes what kind of answer you are looking for.
Is it free?
Yes, free in the browser with no download and no account.