The NYT Spelling Bee is a good game with one genuinely frustrating UX decision: the hint showing how many words remain is tucked into the top right corner, behind a toggle. When I want to know how many 5-letter words start with “BR,” I want that information on the board, not in a modal I have to hunt for.
The Problem
Spelling Bee players use hints constantly, but the hint panel requires extra taps and interrupts gameplay flow. Remaining word counts should update live as you find words, not require a menu visit.
What It Is
A 7-letter daily word wheel game (one center letter required, six outer) with a hint panel permanently visible on the board. The hint table shows total words by starting letter and updates in real time as you find words. No modal, no toggle. Rank ladder from Beginner to Genius. Pangram bonuses at 2x points.
Daily puzzle seeded from the date, same for all players. Streak tracking in localStorage, no account required.
Features
- 7-letter daily wheel seeded from date
- Live word count display (“12 found / 31 total”) on the game board
- Letter breakdown table showing unfound words by first letter, always visible
- Rank ladder from Beginner to Genius
- Pangram bonuses (2x points)
- Streak persistence via localStorage
Stack
| Tool | Role |
|---|---|
| React + TypeScript | Game UI |
| Tailwind | Styling |
| Vite | Build |
| localStorage | Streaks, found words |
| Cloudflare Pages | Hosted inside wanessalabs-games hub |