Unexpected Ways to Use the WordFinder App
Adapted from Getty Images
Playing Scrabble in Real Life
The most obvious way to use the WordFinder app on your mobile device is when you’re already playing word games on the same mobile device.
The app is just as invaluable when you’re playing Scrabble the old-fashioned way. This includes the Words With Friends board games too. Did you know that they made actual physical versions of the popular digital game? If you own a copy of it, just be sure to select Words With Friends in the app. That way, you’ll get the right dictionary and scoring system.
As you gather around the table for a rousing game of traditional Scrabble, keep a smartphone (or two) on hand with the WordFinder app ready to go. Decide ahead of time with your opponents whether it’s “fair game” to use a Scrabble cheat tool. If so, then you can use the WordFinder app the same way you would when playing the digital game.
Verifying If a Word Is Valid
Whereas most mobile and online games will automatically check a word’s validity for you, that’s not the case with a physical board game. Back in the days of yore, you actually had to know if a word was a “real” word before you played it. You couldn’t just go through a sequence of trial and error until you landed on a valid play.
A great way to use the WordFinder app is when someone challenges a word in Scrabble. Instead of looking up the word in some random dictionary, it’s much smarter and faster to check it in the WordFinder app. You’ll always have the most up-to-date Scrabble dictionary, offering the definitive answer on whether a word is valid or not.
Making Fun Anagram Names
What about moving beyond winning word games? Yes, you can have some fun (and laughs) with WordFinder too. Enter a name and see if it anagrams into something that describes that person. Some examples of creating words from letters include the following:
ERNEST anagrams to RESENT, or to feel bitter or indignant about something.
KRISTEN anagrams to TINKERS, or attempting to repair something in a casual way.
MELISSA anagrams to AIMLESS, which means to lack direction or purpose.
MICHAEL anagrams to CHAMELI, the Hindi word for jasmine.
ROBERT anagrams to B RETRO, which could be the name of an 80s-inspired DJ.
Play around with anagrams for nearly anything. Ever wonder if you can rearrange the letters in your hometown to something funny or creative? What about the name of your school or your favorite sports team?
Learning New Words
Yes, the WordFinder app also has an educational spin to it! Remember that we’re part of YourDictionary too. As described in our guide on how to make the most of the WordFinder app, nearly every word listed in the app comes with a built-in definition. Who needs a separate dictionary app when you’ve got all these definitions at your fingertips already?
Enter the word in the main entry field and search as normal.
Tap on the three-dot menu button next to the word in the list.
Choose “Read definition” from the resulting options.
Read up on the part of speech, definition, and word origin.
Listen to the pronunciation too.
This is the only Scrabble dictionary you need!
Saving Your Favorite Words
Found a word you want to remember for later? You can save it to your personal dictionary.
Tap on the word (or the three vertical dots next to it).
Tap on “Save this word” below “Read definition.” This saves the word to your personal collection.
Go to the main page of any game. Beneath the “Articles” button, you’ll find the “Saved Words” or “heart” button.
Tap on this button to see every word you’ve saved. How convenient is that?
Writing Creative Poetry
The WordFinder app is great for finding words to include in your poetry or other creative writing too. Say, for example, that you’re trying to create some parallel structure in one of your poems. You want to find some verbs that start with CH and end with ING. One way you can do this is by using the Advanced Search feature.
Enter “CH” in the “Starts with” field.
Enter “ING” in the “Ends with” field.
Enter “???AEIOUAEIOU” in the main search field.
Why that last part? All your words will need vowels, and doubling up will unearth words that may contain EE, OO, and other combinations. Add in the three wildcards (as question marks or spaces), and you’ll get such possible options as “chiming,” “chairing” and “championing.”
Download the WordFinder App Today
What are you waiting for? The WordFinder app is totally free to download and you can get it right now. It’s available on the App Store for Apple iOS devices, like the iPhone and iPad. You can also get it on Google Play for Google Android devices, plus compatible Chromebooks too. And remember that whether in the app or the online version, our word finder is the best tool to win all the word games.
Michael Kwan is a professional writer and editor with over 14 years of experience. Fueled by caffeine and WiFi, he's no stranger to word games and dad jokes.
