How to play Trellis

The rules

• Spell a word by moving from letter to letter: up, down, left or right. Diagonal steps do not count.
• Words are 3 to 8 letters long, and each square can be used only once in a word. The same letter can appear more than once in the grid.
• Drag through the letters and let go to send the word. You can also tap letters one at a time and press Enter, or, on a computer, simply type the word.
• Everyday English words count, with British spellings. Names, abbreviations and rude words do not. Rarer real words are accepted too, as a bonus.
• There is no clock. Your words are saved all day, so you can close the page and come back later.

How scoring works

• 3 letters: 1 point. 4 letters: 2 points. 5 letters: 4 points. 6 letters: 7 points. 7 letters: 12 points.
• The hidden eight, the one 8-letter word in every grid: 40 points.
• A hint marks the next letter of the hidden eight on the grid, for 5 points each. There are three.

Your rank is your share of the day's best possible score, which is every everyday word in the grid plus the hidden eight. You start as a Seedling, then grow through Sprouting (15%), Climbing (35%) and Blooming (60%) to Full bloom (85%). Rarer bonus words add points but are never needed for Full bloom.

When you have had enough, press Done for today. That makes your score final for the leaderboard, your friends boards and any challenge links, and shows you every word in the grid. A grid you never finish does not count, so press Done before midnight UK time.

Tips and strategy

Start with the endings

Look for S, ED, ER and ING sitting next to each other. Every word you find that can take an S next door is two words: TEAM and TEAMS, or STAR and STARS. Longer words score far more than short ones, so stretching a word by one letter is usually worth more than finding a new short one.

Work round each vowel

Without diagonals, each letter has at most four neighbours, so the words cluster around the vowels. Pick a vowel, note its two to four neighbours, and try every three-letter combination through it before moving on. Corners have only two neighbours, which makes them quick to rule in or out.

Hunting the hidden eight

The hidden eight is always a familiar, everyday word, never a plural or an -ED or -ING form of a shorter word. Long runs of letters snaking through the middle of the grid are a good place to look. If you find a 6 or 7 letter word, check whether it grows into eight. A hint costs 5 points against the 40 the word is worth, so it is nearly always a good deal once you are stuck.

Come back later

Fresh eyes find words that tired ones miss. Because there is no clock and your words are saved, a second look after lunch is often worth a rank.

A worked example

A made-up corner of a grid: S sits above T, T is to the left of A, and R is below A. S, T, A, R moves down, right, then down: STAR, 2 points. If an E sits to the left of the R, STARE is also there, worth 4, and if an S sits below the E, STARES scores 7. TEA, TAR, ART, ARE, EAR, RATE and RATES may all be hiding in the same few squares.

Every finished grid, with all of its words and the hidden eight, is in the Trellis answers archive. For the other daily games, see the dailies page.

Frequently asked questions

Can a word go diagonally in Trellis?

No. Every step must go up, down, left or right to a touching square. That is the whole idea of the trellis: horizontal and vertical slats only.

How is Trellis scored?

3 letters score 1, 4 letters 2, 5 letters 4, 6 letters 7 and 7 letters 12. The hidden 8-letter word is worth 40, and each hint for it costs 5.

What are the Trellis ranks?

Seedling, Sprouting (15% of the day's best possible score), Climbing (35%), Blooming (60%) and Full bloom (85%).

Is Trellis timed?

No. Your words are saved all day. Press Done for today when you finish, before midnight UK time, to record your score.

Can I keep playing after pressing Done?

No. Done for today makes your score final so that leaderboards, friends boards and challenge links stay fair. You will then see every word in the grid.

Is Trellis free?

Yes. Trellis is free to play in any web browser, on a phone or a computer. There is nothing to install and no account to make.

What time does the new Trellis grid come out?

At midnight UK time (GMT in winter, BST in summer). Everyone gets the same grid. If you have the old grid open at midnight, you have 30 minutes to press Done and still have it count.

Where can I see yesterday's Trellis words?

The Trellis answers archive shows every finished grid with all its words. Today's words never appear there until the day is over.