How many words do I need to find?

The target shown in the header, which comes with the day's puzzle rather than being a fixed number. It is a share of the curated list, not all of it, so you don't need to find every answer.

Does the root have to be at the start of the word?

No. It can appear anywhere in the word, as long as its letters run unbroken.

Do words outside the starred list count?

Yes. Any word the dictionary accepts that contains the root counts towards your target; it just doesn't come with a definition.

Is there a minimum word length?

Three letters, and the word must contain the root.

One per puzzle. It reveals a curated word — usually a common one — along with its meaning, and that word is added to your found list.

Is there a new root every day, and do I need an account?

A new root every day, free, with no sign-up. You get one attempt per day and your progress is stored in your own browser.

Daily Rootwords

Rootwords gives you a single root — a fragment like SPECT, PORT or DICT — along with what it means, and asks you to find words built around it. The puzzle keeps a curated list of answers that come with definitions, but any dictionary word containing the root counts towards your target. One new root a day.

How to play Rootwords

The tile at the top shows the day's root and, underneath it, what that root means.
Type a word of at least three letters that contains the root as an unbroken run of letters, then press enter.
Curated answers land in the starred column and show you their definition when they do.
Any other word the dictionary accepts goes into the OTHER column, and both columns count towards the target in the header.
Words that don't contain the root, or that the dictionary doesn't recognise, are turned down and cost you nothing.
The hint reveals one curated word along with its meaning, and you get one per puzzle.
Reach the target number of words shown in the header to finish the day.

Every form of a word counts on its own

Say the root is SPECT, meaning “to look”. INSPECT is a curated answer and arrives with its definition, as do RESPECT, SUSPECT and PROSPECT. But the target counts any word holding those five letters in a row, so INSPECTS, INSPECTED, INSPECTING and INSPECTOR each count separately as well. One good stem can be worth four or five entries on its own.

Rootwords strategy

Run the standard prefixes past the root

Most roots take a predictable set of prefixes. Work through RE-, IN-, DE-, PRO-, SUB-, EX-, CON-, TRANS- and PER- in turn: with PORT that alone gives REPORT, IMPORT, EXPORT, SUPPORT, TRANSPORT and DEPORT before you have thought about endings at all.

Then inflect everything you have found

Because any dictionary word containing the root counts, plurals and verb forms are each worth an entry. Take every word already on your list and try S, ED, ING, ER and ION on it. This is usually the fastest route to the target, and it needs no new ideas.

The root need not come first

It counts wherever it sits in the word — start, middle or end. With ACT you have ACTOR at the front, REACT at the end and REACTION in the middle, so check all three positions rather than only building forwards from the root.

Read the meaning as a clue, not decoration

The gloss printed under the root is there to jog the family of words loose. If it says “to carry”, you are being pointed at the whole PORT family; thinking in meanings turns up words you know but weren't recalling from the letters alone.

Take the hint early, not as a last resort

The hint hands you a common curated word with its definition, and counts it as found. Because it favours the ordinary end of the list, it is worth more as an early foothold that shows you the shape of the family than as a rescue when you are one word short — at that point an inflection of a word you already have is quicker.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need to find?: The target shown in the header, which comes with the day's puzzle rather than being a fixed number. It is a share of the curated list, not all of it, so you don't need to find every answer.
Does the root have to be at the start of the word?: No. It can appear anywhere in the word, as long as its letters run unbroken.
Do words outside the starred list count?: Yes. Any word the dictionary accepts that contains the root counts towards your target; it just doesn't come with a definition.
Is there a minimum word length?: Three letters, and the word must contain the root.
Do I get a hint?: One per puzzle. It reveals a curated word — usually a common one — along with its meaning, and that word is added to your found list.
Is there a new root every day, and do I need an account?: A new root every day, free, with no sign-up. You get one attempt per day and your progress is stored in your own browser.