Not many high points/high letters lately

[Naboka]

Maybe a better idea for 4x4 since 16 letter words aren’t all that rare.
it’d be interesting to see the high scores for boards where a 25 letter word has been found and see if that’s 1000+ threshold has been reached

Since, being lazy, I only play 4x 4, I have no experience with 5x5, thus can only extrapolate.

Yeah, the 16/30's aren't uncommon with 700 word plus boards. When you start adding in the x, q, z, k, j, the number of available words begins to shrink. So you get a 16/35 word that sits found on a board that isn't recycled potentially for years.

Sometimes I wish that when a longest/best word of a certain magnitude is discovered, the board would be recycled. Knowing that the word is there, like seeing 16/33, immediately reduces the search parameters. You know what you're looking for. It's like having an obvious piece for the jigsaw puzzle--not much challenge to find.

But I'm a computer halfwit, so have no idea what annoying procedures are required to tweak such things. Probably more trouble than it's worth.

[HoumaGirl]

I hope the big words dont disappear. Part of the enjoyment is finding a huge word with a lot of points and letters. It's that challenge that I enjoy and I love seeing everyone's big words on the monthly hall of fame. Thanks Stephen for providing so much enjoyment for us.

[AdamsMuse]

I thought it was just me but I have been struggling to find larger words with over 40 points and 20 letters. I feel so much personal satisfaction when I find those huge words and then when my name appears in the high scores/most letters at the end of the month with all of the great players we know. This month I have tried to find some boards but have not been able to find as many those big words as usual. I figured something had changed but admin says it hasnt.

[johnnyknight]

While looking for some larger words, I noticed zeroes in the letter breakdown on the grids. Were those always there? Seems like it was just blank if there were no 9 letters words, etc. I didn't come across any words over 40 points or 20 letters either. I gave up. Tried the 4 x 4 boards instead.

[BoggleOtaku]

I think they are new maybe as of today

[Spike1007]

I saw those too. Glad to know it's not just me.

[HoumaGirl]

Its weird. I wish they weren't there.

[crazykate]

Its weird. I wish they weren't there.

I preferred the blanks as well. I often choose boards according to the board stats, and with the new system with the zeros it's more difficult to see at a glance how many long words there are. The blanks made it easier.

[John13verse34]

Its weird. I wish they weren't there.

Me too! I was confused to see them today.

[RussDNails]

Board is also shifted up in my browser screen (Chrome). Very disorienting!

[Spike1007]

The zeroes seem to have disappeared.

[DawnasMom]

I hope so...it made it difficult to see the words at a glance as crazykate said.

[DEBBIESEAWINDS]

I, too am finding the words with a lot of letters and points are few and far between. I have been trying to find a word with over 40 points and 20 letters but have not come across any at all. I usually see them come up all the time. I wonder why they aren't there anymore. Admin said nothing was different but it seems like it is.

[pdiddp]

I finally found a puzzle with a decently long word, 22 letters and 46 pts. First one over either threshold in three weeks!

Screenshot 2026-05-11 150058.png

[bwt1213]

It's inevitable, because of the way the game is constructed. Suppose you have a board with lots of nice words in it. A good player will happen upon it and post more than 1000 points and retire it almost immediately. The board is retired and will eventually recycle, upon which the same thing will happen. The good board will almost never be played and your chances of ever seeing it are almost zero. A poor board that has an only theoretical chance of ever being played for more than a thousand points will sit for 41 plays and only then be recycled. Your chances of seeing such boards are almost 100%. It's very likely that you'll see it and dismiss it and not even play it. Boards that are poor for high-point players and bad for big-word players will be seen perhaps thousands of times before being retired.

The solution is simple and I've proposed it a lot of times. The fewer times a board is played, the faster it should be recycled. The longer a board sits without being recycled, the more certainly it should be recycled and the longer it should sit before returning. In fact, the really poor boards -- ones with the lowest top possible scores, the shortest or least valuable words -- should be dismissed permanently.

This is a game of entertainment, right? Boards that aren't entertaining should be removed, permanently. Ah, but I'm shouting into the wind.