Many popular word games have been adapted to television and radio game shows. Mobile games like Letterpress, Words with Friends, and Word Connect have also brought word games to modern audiences. Games like Codenames, Decrypto, and Anomia were all designed after 2010, and have earned widespread acclaim. Mad Libs, Blankety Blank, and Codenames are all semantic games.Īs part of the modern 'Golden Age' of board games, designers have created a variety of newer, non-traditional word games, often with more complex rules. Semantic games focus on the semantics of words, utilising their meanings and the shared knowledge of players as a mechanic. Other examples of paper and pencil games include hangman, categories, Boggle, and word searches. For example, a crossword requires players to use clues to fill out a grid, with words intersecting at specific letters. In a paper and pencil game, players write their own words, often under specific constraints. Paper and pencil games A crossword puzzle Some examples of letter arrangement games include Scrabble, Upwords, Bananagrams, and Countdown. These games generally test vocabulary skills as well as lateral thinking skills. In a letter arrangement game, the goal is to form words out of given letters. Popular word-based game shows have been a part of television and radio throughout broadcast history, including Spelling Bee, the first televised game show, and Wheel of Fortune, the longest-running syndicated game show in the United States.Ĭategories Letter arrangement games A game of Scrabble in French Researchers have found that adults who regularly solved crossword puzzles, which require familiarity with a larger vocabulary, had better brain function later in life. Young children can enjoy playing games such as Hangman, while naturally developing important language skills like spelling. Word games are generally used as a source of entertainment, but can additionally serve an educational purpose. Word games are spoken, board, card or video games often designed to test ability with language or to explore its properties.

Online games like word connect