What is Smush?
Smush is a word-composition game built around perishable letters. The board displays nine tiles arranged in a square. Each tile shows a point value and five charge dots; a letter can be used only five times before it is exhausted, or "smush'ed." The central tile is golden and has unlimited uses, but it must appear in every word you submit. The game is still in development and includes a feedback button.
How to play Smush
- Click tiles to compose a word. The golden center letter is required in every submission.
- Reuse any letter multiple times within the same word if needed. Each use consumes one charge from that tile's five dots. The golden tile is the exception.
- Use Delete to correct mistakes and Shuffle to rearrange the layout. Confirm your word with the Smush! button.
- Watch for doublers. A spiky tile moves after each turn and doubles your word score. Exhausting a letter's last charge also doubles it.
- Search for the pangram that uses every letter on the board. Each grid contains at least one. Playing it awards a bonus, with a larger bonus if you find it first.
Why perishable letters change the game
When letters are expendable, word choice becomes a resource decision. An obvious word may still be a poor move if it uses letters you need later. The score updates as you compose, showing multipliers before you submit, so you can hesitate, erase, reshuffle, and choose a less elegant word for more points. The moving spiky tile and the first-pangram bonus add another layer: you have to decide when to spend useful letters and when to save them.
Reading the feedback
Everything is quantified and immediate. A status line above the board shows your current score, the number of words found, the number still possible, and a marker set to the day's average. While composing, the game displays the word and its score breakdown, including multipliers, before you confirm. Accepted words stack in an area called "The pile." A pangram indicator remains locked until you reach a certain score.
Modes
Daily game
One grid per day, with the average score shown as a marker.
Archive and history
Two links below the board give access to past grids and your playing history.
4×3
A link labeled 4×3 appears alongside Archive and History, while the daily board is a nine-letter square.
Tips and strategy
Start from the golden letter. It is mandatory and inexhaustible, so build around it rather than around rare letters.
The game offers two doublers: the spiky tile and exhausting a letter's last charge. Since the spiky tile moves each turn, keep a one-charge letter in reserve so you can choose when to double a word.
The pangram scores more if played first. Look for it before spending charges rather than discovering it late in the grid.
Common questions
Is the golden letter really mandatory in every word?
Yes. The welcome panel states it can be used unlimited times but must appear in every submitted word.
Can you use the same letter multiple times in a single word?
Yes, and each use consumes one charge. Each tile has five, represented by five dots beneath the letter. Only the golden tile is exempt.