A Comparison of Letter Boxed, Spelling Bee and Mini Crossword: Which is the Best for You?
The popularity of word puzzle games is booming as more and more parents want their children to increase their children’s problem-solving skills. Different types of word puzzle games are available worldwide. You need to arrange letters in some word games whereas some require forming words.
The New York Times is a popular mainstream media site that offers a dedicated puzzle section where you can find many word puzzle games. Letter Boxed, Spelling Bee and Crosswords are among those popular word games. These three games become household names as many puzzle enthusiasts are turning to these games. You must have creative and analytical skills to win these games. Not only that, you need to have linguistic skills to compete in these games.
In the following blog post, I will explain all the characteristics of these word games and also suggest the right word game for you.
Overview of Letter Boxed, Spelling Bee and Mini Crossword
Overview of Letter Boxed
Letter Boxed comes under the puzzle section of the New York Times. This game was designed in 2018 and since then, it has gained enormous popularity. The game updates on a regular basis and provides daily challenges. Puzzlers need to devise various strategies every day to win the game. Here, you are given a rectangular box. Twelve unique letters are evenly distributed on each side of the box. You need to connect those letters clockwise or anti-clockwise to form meaningful words. Make sure you create those words within a time limit. If you are still finding it difficult, you can check Letter Boxed daily answers before starting the game.
Overview of Mini Crossword
The crossword puzzle has its uniqueness. The game contains a rectangle-shaped grid which is further divided into black and white square-shaped boxes. Like Letter-Boxed, you need to form words in this puzzle as well. The letters are placed in the white-shaped square boxes. You need to connect those letters across white boxes to create words. Along with the letters, the game provides its users with clues. For example, if a clue “the colour of teeth” is provided, the answer will be “white’. This game is the oldest puzzle that has been published in the New York Times. Arthur Wynne, an NYT journalist, designed this game in 1913.
Overview of Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee is a popular word puzzle game designed by Frank Longo. The puzzle looks like a honeycomb and consists of a hexagonal grid with a letter on each side. There is a letter present at the centre of the grid. You need to create words in such a way that the centre letter must be present in each word. If you create a word containing every letter present in the grid, a pangram will be made. You will earn bonus points for creating a pangram.
Comparisons between Letter Boxed, Spelling Bee, and Mini Crossword
- Game mechanics: In Spelling Bee, you need to create multiple words with the central letter. The words you create must have at least 4 letters. Longer words will fetch you bonus points. If you create a pangram using all seven letters, you will be rewarded a Spell Bee champion. The mechanism of Letter Boxed is tricky. You create a word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. Moreover, you can not select other letters consecutively after selecting a letter from the same side. Playing mini crossword is challenging and needs brainstorming. With taking the help of clues, you need to form words by connecting letters.
- Cognitive and player engagement: These puzzle games demand platters’ linguistic ability skills. For example, in Letter Boxed, you need to think of such a word with an easy ending so that you can create the second word easily. In Mini crossword, you must have logical reasoning skills to interpret the meaning of the clues. Players sometimes become confused with the pun and double-meaning of the clues.
- Availability: Letter Boxed can be challenging for a newcomer as a player needs to create words within a time limit. The good thing is that you can access the game in the New York Times for free. As the level progresses, you need a subscription to unlock higher levels. The mini crossword is the perfect game for a beginner to start with and it is completely free.
- Popularity: All the word games are appealing to many users worldwide. These games are popular for their dynamics and daily challenges. The New York Times offers many alternative puzzles to those struggling to solve Letter Boxed or Spelling Bee. When it comes to popularity, mini crossword has over 400,000 active users. Letter Boxed is liked by millions for its uniqueness. Spelling Bee has the most number of subscribers. There is even a spelling bee competition held every year where many players participate.
Summing Up
These games have their own mechanisms that have attracted millions of puzzlers worldwide. If you are a solo player and want to improve your vocabulary skills, Letter-Boxed and Crossword are the perfect puzzles. If you want to play with a group of your friends and like competitions, Spelling Bee is the right choice.
