Even the most die-hard word game fanatic sometimes finds themself searching for a new favorite game. Maybe you’re a major Wordle fan, and you’re looking for something to play while you wait for your daily puzzle. Or maybe you love Scrabble, but you’ve gotten sick of playing it on a physical board against nobody but your grandma. Whatever your reason for looking around, we’ve got the next game you should put on your list: Wordfeud, a multiplayer mobile game like Scrabble or Words with Friends.
History of Wordfeud
Wordfeud was created in 2010 by a Norwegian man named Haakon Bertheussen. Bertheussen was a total novice at creating apps before he created Wordfeud. But he was inspired to create a mobile game that would let players, across long distances, connect via Scrabble. When Bertheussen released the game in 2011, it was a near-instant hit. Now, the app has been released in English, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, French, and Spanish, according to The Norway Post, and has been downloaded more than 16 million times.
Speaking to the media, Bertheussen says he knows that the app’s popularity will stall eventually, but he thinks there are still many opportunities for expansion into other languages, including German. And, he says, “Wordfeud is probably more timeless than many other games, and can engage several different groups of the population.”
Wordfeud Gameplay
Wordfeud was based on Scrabble, so it is very similar to that game, as well as to Words with Friends. The primary benefit of Wordfeud is that a player can engage in up to 30 different games at once. Playable on both iOS and Android devices, the game allows you to play against almost anyone, almost anywhere in the world.
The game is pretty much just like Scrabble: players start with seven tiles and work to lay them down on the board into words to get points. Because of its digital form, you can choose to randomize the board before you start, assigning double- and triple-letter spaces, as well as double- and triple-word spaces, to random points on the board.
If you’re looking to mix things up from Words with Friends, Wordfeud might not be your best bet. But if you’re hoping to connect with players elsewhere in the world, or if you want to find a way to play games with friends across long distances, WordFeud might be just the game for you.
Differences from Scrabble
The biggest differences between Scrabble, Wordfeud, and Words with Friends are related more to the app’s functionality than the game itself. Because Wordfeud and Words with Friends are based on Scrabble, they all have similar rules of engagement. However, there are some differences.
Words with Friends tells players when invalid words are played. This can help beginner players get used to the game as it removes the element of having to ‘call out’ an opponent for playing a fake word. The game also has a lot of bonus features and events that can make the game more interesting for players, like the Lightning Round. However, some players think that the Words with Friends app is too buggy and that the app crashes more frequently than its competitors.
In contrast, the Wordfeud app has a random double-letter and double-word assignment function, meaning you can mix up the board between games to keep things interesting. Plus, you can choose if you want to use the SOWPODS or NASPA dictionary, and can switch things up from game to game. However, Words with Friends is more popular than Wordfeud, meaning if you’re looking to play with a specific opponent, odds are higher that they have a WWF account than a Wordfeud account. Still, Wordfeud entered the foreign market more quickly – by virtue of being a Norwegian app – so depending on your language and location, Wordfeud might be the dominant app.
Finally, Scrabble has its own digital app, released after Words with Friends and Wordfeud. It tracks the highest-scoring words, which many players appreciate. But more players are on Words with Friends than on Scrabble’s app.
Our Wordfeud Solver
Obviously, in an ideal world, we would never need help from any outside sources to solve a word game. Nevertheless, players, especially ones new to the word game, often find themselves stuck on a word. If you find yourself in just that position playing a Wordfeud game, you should check out our Wordfeud board solver, which, along with our other board solvers, can be a great help in getting you out of a pinch.
