Tile Tycoon

What is Tile Tycoon?

Tile Tycoon is a crossword tile game you play solo against computer rivals. You both draw letter tiles from the same bag and take turns placing words on a shared board, crossword style, so every word has to link into the ones already there. Each match is just 10 turns each, and the higher score wins.

There are eight rivals to beat in a row, from Pip the Parrot up to Sir Shellby, Champion, plus a Daily Rack where everyone plays the same tiles. It's free, plays in your browser on phone, tablet or computer, and needs no download.

How to play

1. You get a rack of 7 tiles. Each tile shows its point value.
2. On your turn, place 1 or more tiles in a single row or a single column to make a word, with no gaps.
3. The very first word of the match must cover the gold star in the center.
4. After that, every new word must connect to tiles already on the board.
5. Every word you form has to be a real word, including any side words made where your tiles touch others.
6. Press play to score it. You refill to 7 tiles and your rival takes a turn.

Before you commit, the game shows your word and its score as you place tiles, or tells you what's wrong ("Connect to a word on the board", "No gaps in your word", and so on). Nothing counts until you press play.

The star tile

The bag has 2 star tiles. A star tile can be any letter you choose, but it scores 0 points.

Swapping

Stuck with a bad rack? Swap all your tiles for new ones from the bag. It uses your turn. When fewer than 7 tiles are left in the bag, swapping becomes a pass.

Controls

Phone and tablet

Drag a tile from your rack onto the board, or tap a tile and then tap a square. Tap a tile you've placed to take it back. Tap the board to zoom in, and use the corner button to zoom back out.

Computer

Drag with the mouse, or use the keyboard. Click a square to aim, click it again to switch between across and down, then type your letters. Enter plays the word, Backspace takes back the last tile, Space shuffles your rack, the arrow keys move the cursor and Esc brings all your tiles back.

Scoring and bonus squares

A word scores the total of its letter values, with any bonus squares under your new tiles applied. Letter bonuses count first, then word bonuses multiply the total. If your move makes more than one word, you score every one of them.

Bonus squares only count on the turn you cover them. Use all 7 of your tiles in one move and you get a 40 point full rack bonus.

Letter values

Two letter words are allowed, which opens up a lot of small plays, though a few odd ones like TS and MS aren't accepted.

When a match ends

A match ends after 10 turns each. It can end sooner if there are 3 passes or swaps in a row, or if the bag is empty and one player has used up their rack. The higher score wins.

Rivals, stars and the Daily Rack

Beat a rival to unlock the next one. Each one is a little sharper than the last.

• Pip the Parrot
• Biscuit the Badger
• Clove the Cat
• Otto the Otter
• Mabel the Moose
• Fennick the Fox
• Juniper the Owl
• Sir Shellby, Champion

Every rival match can earn 3 stars: one for winning, one for winning by 30 or more, and one for scoring 180 points or playing a full rack. That's 24 stars in all.

Daily Rack

Play Daisy the Daily Duck with the same tiles as everyone else that day. It resets at midnight UTC and keeps a streak. The Daily Rack and regular matches each have a leaderboard. Sign in to post your scores.

Unlocks and ranks

Stars unlock new tile sets: Ivory to start, then Maple (1 star), Mint (3), Coral (5), Sky (8), Night (12), Gold (17) and Marble (22).

Every point you score adds to your lifetime total, which sets your rank: Street Seller, Shopkeeper at 400, Merchant at 1,200, Banker at 3,000, Magnate at 6,000 and Tycoon at 10,000. The Ledger on the menu keeps your best word, best turn and best game.

Hints

You start with 3 hints. A hint places a strong word on the board for you, which you can still move or take back. You earn a hint for any turn worth 30 or more and for every win, up to 9 saved.

Tips and strategy

• Know where the big squares are. The four W×3 squares sit in the middle of each edge of the board, and the L×3 squares are in the corners. Words that stretch toward an edge are worth watching for.
• Put your best letter on a letter bonus. A Z on L×3 is 24 points before any word bonus. Aim heavy tiles at those squares.
• Score two ways at once. Playing a word alongside another one makes several short words in one move. Each counts, and small two letter words add up fast.
• Hooks are free points. Adding an S or an E to the end of a word on the board scores the whole word again, plus your new one.
• Don't open a W×3 for your rival. If your word ends one square away from a triple, your rival will likely take it next turn.
• Keep a balanced rack. Aim to hold a mix of vowels and consonants. If you're sitting on five vowels, a swap can be worth more than a tiny play.
• Save a star tile for something big, like reaching a W×3 or using all 7 tiles for the 40 point bonus.
• Ten turns go fast. There's no slow endgame, so a solid 25 every turn beats waiting for one perfect play.

For another word game with a grid and a bit of strategy, try Spell Duel, where every word you spell is an attack on a monster.

Questions