Falling Words

How it works

Words fall from the top of the screen, and every one that reaches the ground costs you a life. To stop them you type them. You have three lives: lose them all and the game is over.

The first letter picks the word. As soon as you type a letter, the game locks onto a word that starts with it and outlines it in gold. If several words start with the same letter, it takes the lowest one, the one about to cost you a life. Then type the rest: every right letter turns gold, and when the word is complete it bursts.

A wrong letter does no harm, but it gets you nowhere. Backspace lets go of the word if you want to switch to another.

The levels

Every ten words you destroy take you up a level, to a maximum of ten. With every level the words:

• fall faster, from about ten seconds to cross the screen at level one to under five at the top;
• arrive more often, up to one every three quarters of a second;
• grow longer: level one deals three to five letters, and every level the longest word grows by one, up to ten.

When it can, the game avoids dropping two words with the same first letter at once, so your first key is never ambiguous.

Scoring

A word is worth 10 points per letter, times the level: a six-letter word is worth 60 points at level one and 300 at level five. Your best score is saved in your browser.

On a phone

Tap the screen to open your phone's keyboard. While it is open, the ground rises to the middle of the screen: words land there, above the keyboard, so none of them falls behind it where you cannot see.

Controls

• Letters to type.
• Backspace lets go of the locked word.
• Esc pauses.
• Enter plays again after the end.

If you switch tabs, the game pauses itself and the words stop.

Strategies that actually work

Always start from the lowest. The game picks it for you when two words share a first letter, but it is up to you not to be tempted by an easy word at the top while another is about to land.

Do not chase words the moment they appear. In the first levels you have time: let them come down a little and read the ones arriving, so you already know what to type next.

Finish what you started. Letting go of a word half way throws away the letters you typed. It is only worth it when another word really is about to land.

From level five up, accuracy is what counts. The words are long and dense: a wrong letter is time lost exactly when you have none.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free? Yes. It plays in your browser, with no signup and nothing to download.

What language are the words in? English or Italian, following the language of the site.

Does it work on a phone? Yes, with your phone's keyboard.

Does it help you type faster? Yes: it makes you read ahead and type without looking at the keyboard, the two habits that make the difference. To measure how far you have come, try the Typing Test.