How to play LetterLock

The full rules, in about five minutes of reading.

1. The board

The board is a rhombus of hexagons, the same shape used by the classic connection game Hex. You choose its size before the match:

Both directions cross exactly the same number of hexes, so neither team gets a shorter path. A hex board also can never end in a draw: however the hexes are shared out, one team will always have connected its edges by the time the board is full.

2. Setting up a match

1. Choose a pack. The pack decides the questions: general knowledge, flags, logos, movies, music, charades, Arabic packs and more. See the Packs guide.
2. Name the teams and pick their colours. Two teams, any names you like.
3. Pick the match length: Single (one game), Best of 3 (first to 2 wins) or Best of 5 (first to 3).
4. Pick the board size: 4 × 4, 5 × 5 or 7 × 7.
5. Pick the answer timer: 20, 30 or 45 seconds, or Relaxed with no timer at all, which suits classrooms and younger players.

3. A turn, step by step

1. Pick a hex. The team whose turn it is chooses any neutral hex. Claimed hexes cannot be picked.
2. Hear the question. LetterLock serves a question whose answer starts with that hex's letter, and the host reads it out.
3. Answer. The picking team answers first, against the timer. If they are right, the hex floods their colour.
4. Steal. If they miss or run out of time, the other team gets a chance to steal the hex with a correct answer.
5. Nobody? If both teams miss, the hex stays neutral and can be picked again later.
6. Next turn. Play passes to the other team, and LetterLock checks for a winner after every claim.

The host has two safety nets. Skip swaps the current question for a fresh one with the same letter (one skip per pick), and Undo takes back the last decision if someone tapped the wrong team.

4. Winning

A team wins the game the moment its hexes form one connected chain that touches both of its edges. Hexes connect through their shared sides, so a chain can bend and wind as long as it never breaks. The winning chain lights up across the board.

In a Best of 3 or Best of 5 match the teams swap directions after every game and the board gets fresh letters, so nobody keeps an advantage from the previous round. The first team to win the majority of games takes the match.

5. Ways to play

Couch Mode (one screen)

Everyone is in the same room around one screen: a laptop, a tablet or a TV. The host reads each question aloud and taps which team got it. Friends can also scan a QR code to link their phones to the game.

Party Mode (phones as controllers)

The host sets up the match, then LetterLock opens a room with a 6-letter code and a QR code. Players join from their own phones, which become their controllers and buzzers, while the board stays on the host's screen.

Join a room

Got a code from a host? Choose Join a room, type the 6 letters, and you are in the lobby.

On a TV

LetterLock runs on Android TV and Google TV and is fully playable with the remote's arrow keys. The TV makes a perfect shared board for Couch Mode, or the host screen for a Party Mode room that everyone joins from their phones.

6. Accounts and progress

You can play straight away as a guest with no sign-up. A free account (sign in with an email code, Google or Apple) adds XP and levels, a friends list, leaderboards, saved games you can resume later, and the pack editor for building your own question packs. Bigger boards, Best of 5 and the hardest packs unlock as you level up.

Next: Tips and strategy · FAQ

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