WordTrail is a daily word puzzle where you trace a hidden 5-letter word on a 6x6 grid of letters. Here's everything you need to know to start solving puzzles like a pro.
Each day, a secret 5-letter word is hidden on the grid as a connected path of adjacent cells. Adjacent means horizontally, vertically, or diagonally neighboring — so each letter in the word touches the next one on the grid. Your goal is to figure out which word it is and trace its exact path.
You have 5 guesses to find the word. To make a guess, drag your finger (or click) across adjacent cells to spell out a 5-letter word, then tap Submit. The word must be a valid English word and the path must be connected — no jumping across the grid.
After each guess, the cells in your guessed path light up with color feedback:
Green — This letter is on the secret path, and it's in the correct position. You've nailed this one.
Yellow — This letter appears somewhere on the secret path, but not in the position you guessed. It's the right letter, wrong spot.
Gray — This letter is not on the secret path at all. You can rule it out for future guesses.
Use these clues to narrow down both which letters are in the word and where they might be located on the grid.
On mobile, drag your finger across the grid to trace a path. On desktop, click cells one at a time — each cell you click must be adjacent to the previous one. You can also click an earlier cell in your path to undo back to that point.
The path you trace must be exactly 5 cells long, and each cell can only be used once per guess. Diagonal connections are allowed, which means each cell can connect to up to 8 neighbors.
Stuck? Tap the hint button to reveal one letter's position on the secret path. Hinted cells glow purple on the grid, showing you exactly where that letter sits. You can use up to 4 hints per puzzle, leaving just one cell for you to figure out on your own.
Hints are a great way to get unstuck without giving up entirely. Your hint count is tracked and appears in your share results, so purists can still aim for a no-hint solve.
Start with common 5-letter words that use frequently appearing letters. Words with letters like E, A, R, S, T, and N are great first guesses because they'll give you the most information about what's on the path.
After you complete (or fail) the daily puzzle, you can keep playing with unlimited bonus rounds. These draw from a separate word list, so you'll always have fresh puzzles to solve. Bonus rounds don't affect your daily stats or streak.
WordTrail tracks your performance over time, including total games played, win percentage, current streak, and best streak. You'll also see a guess distribution chart showing how many guesses it typically takes you to solve.
After completing a puzzle, you can share your results as a spoiler-free emoji grid — green, yellow, and black squares that show your guess pattern without revealing the word. Share it on social media or in group chats to challenge your friends.
Your first guess is the most important. Choose a common word with 5 different letters to maximize the information you get back. Words like CRANE, STARE, or TRAIN are solid openers because they test common consonants and vowels.
Pay attention to letter clusters on the grid. The secret word forms a connected path, so look for groups of commonly paired letters sitting near each other — combinations like TH, ST, ER, IN, or AN.
A yellow result is powerful. It tells you a letter is in the word but your path put it in the wrong position. Look for that same letter elsewhere on the grid and try to trace a path that places it differently.
Gray results eliminate letters entirely. After two or three guesses, you should have enough gray letters to significantly narrow down your options. Focus on the remaining colored letters and try to find a path that connects them.
Don't just think about which word it might be — think about where it could physically trace on the grid. Sometimes you'll know the word but need to find the right starting position for the path.
Now that you know the rules, it's time to trace your first word.
Play WordTrail