Finding ways to build vocabulary, practice spelling, and have fun are goals of teachers {and parents} everywhere! Recently I was introduced to a new app called Word Addiction, which I am sharing with you today thanks to their team sponsoring this post!
As a homeschooler, I immediately started using the app with education in mind. Since we are spending much more time at home now, this is a fun way to keep kids learning outside of structured homeschool/virtual school time. For those of you new to the homeschool world, I highly recommend adding in educational game time and Word Addiction is a perfect example!
Obviously we all know that the game Scrabble is a great family game and Word Addiction is very similar to this well-loved game, with some different features making it even more exciting! My favorite feature is that you have access to ALL letters, making word-building better for kids {and adults}. The dictionary feature is fabulous! That is a common argument when playing Scrabble at my house! Having the dictionary right there in Word Addiction makes it so easy to look up a word.
Word Addiction’s Unique Features:
- ALL players have access to ALL the letters—ALL the time!
- Play the first word anywhere on the board.
- Build words in any direction.
- Randomly placed BRIDGES allow players to move off the crossword path.
- Randomly placed BLOCKS stop players from building words in that direction.
- For all ages and skills— the game is as easy or challenging as the words you play.
- Pass and Play feature – challenge your friends on one device!
Key Differences:
- Scrabble Letters have numbers on the letters and perks on the board marked Double Words and Triple letters etc. Word Addiction letters are color-coded: 10 Points for RED letters, 5 Points for TEAL letters, and 1 point for PURPLE letters.
- The Word Addiction board has BRIDGES AND BLOCKS. Simply stated—the BRIDGES extend word making and it helps the players move on the board. BLOCKS simply block word building for all players. Players usually start a game near a Bridge. When a letter from either player touches a BRIDGE and the BRIDGE changes color, players can access that BRIDGE and add a new word on the other side of the BRIDGE. In the example below, the word DRIVE was built up to a block on the left-hand side, so another word cannot be formed on the right-hand side of the block.
Personal Thoughts
I love Scrabble and I love Word Addiction! Personally, learning new rules is a challenge for me so that was a bit difficult to get used to. I greatly prefer Word Addiction’s layout, having access to all of the letters, and rolling the dice to see how many letters I can use is very helpful to me. Playing on my phone was a bit difficult, my fingers had a hard time grabbing the letters from the perimeter of the board. It is much better on a larger device! I mostly played the Solitaire version, at the beginner level. Since I am not a super Scrabble player, beginner is my speed. I did try the “Random Opponent” feature but had a hard time with the game timing out waiting for the other player – this could be due to my phone service/internet though. We are heading to the beach soon and I plan to bring out this game for us to play together!
How to Get Word Addiction
You can download this app for free here in iTunes or here in the Google Play store. There are in-app purchases available but you can play for free all through the beginner level and earn stars to unlock the next levels.