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EnglishWhat Is the Difference Between Wordsmyth's Competitive and Casual Modes?
Updated
Wordsmyth offers two play modes, and you choose one before pressing Play: Competitive (timed, scored against other players, and counted in your stats) and Casual (untimed, not recorded or counted toward your statistics). Pick Competitive if you want a global rank and personal stats; pick Casual if you want to solve the daily puzzle without a clock or leaderboard pressure.
The two modes side by side
| Dimension | Competitive mode | Casual mode |
|---|---|---|
| Timer | Your time is tracked | No time tracking |
| Scoring | Completion time is scored against everyone else who played in Competitive mode | No score submitted |
| Stats | Completed puzzles count toward your stats | Puzzles are not recorded or counted toward your statistics |
| Global rank | Shown in the Stats panel (competitive mode) | Not applicable |
| Best for | Players who want a benchmark and a reason to replay for speed | First-timers, relaxed solving, or practicing the clue logic |
How the choice affects your game
The puzzle itself is the same: you transform a starting word step by step by finding which clue logically applies to the current word, using up all the clues to win. The mode only changes what happens around that solving.
- In Competitive mode, the clock runs while you work. The "Need a hint?" crystal ball is still available, but the game warns that asking for a hint adds 30 seconds to your timer — a real cost when your time is your score.
- In Casual mode, there is no timer to protect, so hint use carries no scoring penalty. This makes Casual the more forgiving place to learn the clue types (deleting a described part of a word, swapping letters, and so on) before you try to beat the clock.
What Competitive mode records
When you finish a Competitive puzzle, your completion time is submitted to the game's database to calculate percentile rankings. According to the game's privacy policy, this data is anonymous and contains only the puzzle date and completion time — no name, IP address, or device information. Your progress and gameplay stats are stored locally in your browser.
The Stats panel in Competitive mode shows completed puzzles, average time, and global rank. Results can be shared via the Share Your Results option.
How to choose
- Decide your goal before starting. If you want a time to compare and stats that accumulate, choose Competitive. If you just want to solve today's puzzle, choose Casual.
- Select the mode on the start screen, then press Play. The mode is set at the start, so make the choice deliberately rather than by default.
- Use hints accordingly. In Competitive mode, treat the crystal ball as a last resort because of the 30-second penalty; in Casual mode, use it freely to learn an unfamiliar operation — clicking an operation also shows its definition.
- Come back daily. A new puzzle appears each day, and the archive lets you revisit earlier puzzles if you want extra practice before committing to Competitive play.