> Word Games

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1st Int'l Collection of Tongue Twisters
Claiming to have the world's largest collection of tongue twisters, this site features 1,828 entries in 75 languages.

A Monograph on Crossword Puzzles
From the Barely Bad Web site. A dissertation on crosswords and why one should (and shouldn't) do them.

A Spelling Test
Mindy McAdams has compiled fifty commonly misspelled words, based on eleven years as a copy editor. You can take the test and get some spelling tips.

A Well-Boiled Icicle - Spoonerisms
The Reverend William Archibald Spooner is best remembered, not for being head of an Oxford college (1903-1924) but for his supposed habit of transposing letters of words producing what have come to be called 'SPOONERISMS'. Letter/sound transposition has since developed into a deliberate form of wordplay.

Australian Crossword Club
The club's magazine, Crozworld, is published every month and is available online. Includes 6 puzzles and an occasional quiz from professional crossword compilers including Noel Jessop.

BadPuns.com
Here's a site dedicated to puns, and all other kinds of wordplay. Includes jokes, comics and mechandise.

BlackDog's Word Games
Word games especially for older kids and 'tweens.' Word searches, jumbled letter games, missing letter games and hangman are just the beginning. Many puzzles available with themes from Harry Potter, Pokemon, Lord of the Rings and more.

Celebrity Chat: Will Shortz
Read the transcript from Will Shortz's guest appearance at MSO. Delve into the mind of the world's only certified 'enigmatologist'.

Crossword masters vs Scrabble masters
Anagrams are a rearrangement of the letters of a word to form a new word, such as WEIRD, WIRED and WIDER. Skill in manipulating these constructions is a major factor in increasing your Scrabble score.

Crossword Talk
Hosted by Cox & Rathvon. Discussion groups focusing on crossword solving and construction. Free registration required.

Crosswordese- Definition
Crosswordese refers to hackneyed, obscure words or partial phrases, usually three to five letters long, used in crossword puzzle clues. These words, rarely used in everyday conversation, are often used in crossword puzzles because the particular letter combination is needed in a particular area of the crossword grid. Puzzles with too much crosswordese are frowned upon by cruciverbalists.

Cryptic Link
One person's word is another person's plaything.

Etymologic
Claiming to be the toughest word game on the web, you are presented with 10 randomly selected word origin questions with multiple choice answers. Okay, what's an ecdysiast?

FunBrain.com
Great for elementary school aged youngsters. This site has lots of educational word games that deal with common reading problems like confusing similar words, identifying parts of speech, and proper use of verb tenses. Games can be played in easy or hard mode.

Funster
This is a multiplayer word game site. Activities include a daily Crypoquote, word building from letters in a name, and a vocabulary challenge. A unique user name must be selected (though no 'registration' is necessary), and there is an interactive bulletin board on the site. Recommended for teens or adults.

Interactive Wordplays
A variety of word games including crossword puzzles and a version of Boggle. Also includes some interesting tools such as an anagram finder, a dictionary, and a 'dialect' translator. Lots of fun!

My Word a Day
A daily dosage of word descriptions designed to deepen your understanding of the English language. You can also subscribe to receive the free weekly package delivered via email.

Play With Your Mind
A collection of word games, typing games, logic puzzles and other mind games and IQ tests. Recommended.

Puns: The Lowest Form of Wit
Puns may be the lowest form of wit, but do they deserve the scorn that has been heaped upon them by their detractors down through the ages? Love 'em or loathe 'em, puns are here to stay and have been around since ancient times.

Puzzlemakers Ltd.
Samples of different puzzles which can be ordered from this UK company. Send an online crossword card.

Pyramid Puzzles Tutorial
A Pyramid Puzzle is a word game, so named because the solution words are stacked one on top of each other (from shortest to longest) to resemble a pyramid. These puzzles can be easy or difficult depending on how they are clued and/or whether the answers are common or obscure words.

Riddler
This site is 'new-and-improved' and there's a wide choice of puzzles including trivia, concentration, word search and crosswords.

Spelling Schmelling
Can you raed tihs? Aoccdrnig to a reersach peapr at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deson't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are...

Syzygy Word Game
Syzygy is a fast-paced word game for 1 to 12 players. Ages 9 and up. Read a review from your Guide.

The Grey Labyrinth
From Kevin Lin, who says, "Its purpose is to stimulate interest and curiousity into the most intriguing puzzle God ever devised, the human mind." Lots of good riddles.

The National Puzzlers' League
According to NPL, this is "the world's oldest puzzlers' organization". You can become a member for $13 which includes a subscription to 'The ENIGMA' (12 monthly issues).

The Pun FAQtory - About Paronomasia
Frequently Askewed Questions about Paronomasia: Mark Samwick maintains the unofficial FAQ for the UseNet newsgroup alt.humor.puns It probably includes more than you wanted to know or even knew existed on the subject of wit and wordplay.

The Pun FAQtory
"A pistol let off at the ear; not a feather to tickle the intellect." Learn more than you ever wanted to know about the much maligned pun.

Top 7 Word Games
Here are my picks for the top 7 word games on the market today.

WEBoggle
Play online in real time against other players. Choose a 4x4 or 5x5 grid. No downloads or special plug-ins. The site is FREE and NO registration is required. Just type in a user name and play away!

When Words Collide
Pun comics are featured here. Be warned. These are real groaners and only for the die-hard pun fanatic.

Word Scramble Game - Female Celebrities
Unscramble the letters to reveal the name of a female celebrity. Java

Word Scramble Game - Male Celebrities
Unscramble the letters to reveal the name of a male celebrity. Java

World Puzzle Federation
Dedicated to exchanging puzzle ideas, stimulating innovations, supervising the annual World Puzzle Championship (WPC) and fostering friendship among puzzle fans.

World Wide Words
Michael Quinion has built a fascinating site which will delight anyone interested in words. Be sure not to miss the 'Weird Words' section. Also, I highly recommend his weekly newsletter. As Michael states: "This site is all about English words and phrases—what they mean, where they came from, how they have evolved, and sometimes the ways in which people misuse them."