What is Word Swap?
Word Swap is a connected word-network puzzle played on fifteen letter cells. Three five-letter words run across the board and three three-letter words cross them vertically. Every line is part of the same canonical solution, so changing one cell can improve one path while disrupting another. The objective is to exchange pairs of letters until all six visible paths spell valid intended words.
How to play
Choose Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced, then select one letter and a second destination to exchange them. A tick marks a letter already in its exact solution cell. A connected marker means the letter belongs somewhere else in the network, while an open marker tells you to reconsider its place. Completed across and down paths strengthen their connectors, making progress visible without relying on colour alone.
Beginner networks target a par of five to seven swaps and begin with more correct cells. Intermediate targets eight to eleven swaps. Advanced uses a tougher starting permutation with a par of twelve to fourteen. The solution vocabulary stays familiar; difficulty comes from the arrangement rather than obscure words.
Daily Challenge, Practice and results
The Daily Challenge selects a deterministic network for the current UTC date and chosen difficulty. An unfinished board is restored after a refresh once you have made a move. Practice provides unlimited curated networks and keeps its progress separate from Daily streaks. Changing difficulty selects the corresponding Daily identity, so Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced records do not overwrite one another.
Moves are the main measure and elapsed time is supporting information. Matching par earns a Perfect result, finishing within two extra swaps earns Excellent, and any coherent solved network counts as Solved. Daily streaks are tracked separately by difficulty and advance only once for the same puzzle. Shared results report difficulty, moves, par and rating without revealing the six answers.
Strategy for a connected network
Start with locked letters and read both directions through each crossing. A tempting across word is useful only when its first, third and fifth letters also support the down paths. Before swapping, compare two positions and ask whether the exchange improves more than one line. Solving a vertical word can provide three anchors at once, while completing an outside across lane may narrow the remaining middle letters.
Keyboard focus and large buttons make the tap-tap interaction usable without dragging. Swap animation briefly locks input so rapid taps cannot corrupt state. Reduced-motion settings remove unnecessary movement while preserving the same markers, connector changes and completion information.
Frequently asked questions
Can any two letters be swapped?
Yes. Select one board cell and then another; those two letters exchange positions as one move.
What does par mean?
Par is the minimum number of pair exchanges required for that supplied starting arrangement.
Are the crossing words real?
Yes. Every answer is reconstructed from the actual ordered board cells, and the production puzzle bank is validated for consistent intersections.
Related word tools and games
If you enjoy planning letter swaps, try Word Unscrambler for rearranging letters into valid words, or use Word Finder when you need possibilities from a fixed set of letters.