Elided at elided.app is a daily word puzzle with a simple promise: find the longest hidden word in the fewest guesses. Instead of building words from neighboring tiles, you spell by tapping letters left to right and skipping any letters that don’t fit. That small twist changes how you search the board, and it makes a beginner-friendly game feel fresh by the end of three rounds.
The three-round format
Each daily game has three rounds. Every round uses 16 letters and hides one word somewhere in those letters. Your job is to find that hidden word, and you have four guesses to do it.
The same three rounds are shared by everyone, so a friend playing the same day will face the same puzzle. If you want more practice, the site’s Archive keeps past puzzles playable, too.
How to tap a word: left to right, skip any
The key rule in Elided is order.
- Look at the 16 letters from left to right.
- Find a word whose letters appear in that same left-to-right order.
- Tap the letter that starts the word.
- Tap each next letter as it comes up in the order.
- Skip any letters in between that you don’t need.
- When your word is complete, the game gives you feedback by marking tiles.
The letters don’t have to touch. You can skip as many letters as you want, and a letter does not have to be physically next to the previous one. What matters is that your taps move forward across the grid.
Tip: Don’t just look at nearby letters. In Elided, distance is irrelevant. Scan for the next letter you need and skip everything in between.
If you ever tap a letter and then realize you need an earlier one, that word won’t work. The puzzle is strict about the direction: left to right.
What the tile marks mean
After you spell a word, Elided marks the tiles you used. The feedback is described simply: tiles are marked either in or out of the answer.
- In means the tile is part of the hidden word.
- Out means the tile is not part of the hidden word.
This is straightforward, but it gives you useful information each guess. If a tile is marked out, you can stop using that letter in later guesses. If a tile is marked in, you know the hidden word needs that tile, so you should try to include it again when the order allows.
You don’t need to memorize anything beyond those two states when you start. The board will show you which tiles are still in play, so a quick glance can guide your next word.
Fewer guesses, more stars
Every round gives you four guesses, but you don’t have to use all four. Elided rewards efficiency: fewer guesses earn more stars.
That means a good first guess can set the tone. If you use a few promising letters in the correct order, you’ll learn more from the marks. If you reuse letters that were already marked out, you’re wasting a chance to learn something new.
When you feel confident about the hidden word, commit to it. Solving on your first or second guess is harder — and earns more stars — than solving on your last one.
FAQ
How many rounds are in a daily Elided puzzle?
Three. Each round has 16 letters, one hidden word, and four guesses.
Do I need to connect letters like in Boggle?
No. You tap letters in left-to-right order, and the letters don’t have to touch.
Does everyone get the same puzzle?
Yes. It’s one puzzle a day, with the same three rounds for everyone.
Can I play old Elided puzzles?
Yes. The site has an Archive section with past puzzles that are still playable.
Do I need to install an app?
No. The game runs in a browser and requires JavaScript. On mobile, you can use your browser’s Share or Install menu to add Elided to your home screen.
