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Word Wipe Strategy

I see every day that the leading scorers are in the 40,000 range.  I am far from illiterate, but I rarely score above 11,000.  Is there a strategy, a technique to get more time or more words?  The enormous but consistent discrepancy is a great curiosity.  Any advice?

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Periodic Contributor

Word Wipe doesn't have a single "best" strategy, as it depends heavily on the available letters and your personal skill level. However, here are some general tips and tricks that can significantly improve your gameplay:

Focus on high-scoring words: Prioritize using letters with higher point values to build longer words. Common high-scoring letters include Q, Z, X, J, and K.

Think beyond straight lines: You can connect letters diagonally and even wrap around the board to form words, as long as they're consecutive.

Scan for bonus bombs: Keep an eye out for clusters of high-scoring letters that can be wiped with a single swipe, earning you a bonus bomb.

Utilize smaller words: Don't neglect opportunities to score points with short words, especially if they free up valuable high-scoring letters.

Clear multiple boards: Aim to clear multiple boards with a single word whenever possible, doubling your score for that turn.

Save bombs strategically: Use bombs to clear difficult letters or open up opportunities for high-scoring words, especially as the time limit tightens.

Practice makes perfect: The more you play, the better you'll become at spotting bonus opportunities and efficiently strategizing your word choices.

 

I hope this helps!

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Periodic Contributor

Finding words with at least four letters is one goal. Any time you can make longer words it really helps.Time management and bomb management really matter. Practicing specific tactical skills helps.  My average scores are now between 60,000-70,000.  But that has taken me several years to get there. 

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Periodic Contributor

Search for the original wordwipe game. It gives you bonus bombs after each game and when you get 500 points. The Wordwipe game on AARP sucks. And there is no way anyone scores 180,000 points.

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Periodic Contributor

Well, now Word Wipe is wrecked—every time you advance to a new level, you're asked to view a video for 300 extra points! Really aggravating. So you have to click past that to get to the next level. It's bad enough in the Trivia games. Must every single thing that one does be an opportunity to sell? I am sick of it. Pretty soon they'll be posting ads in the Mahjongg games.

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Periodic Contributor

Search the internet for the original Wordwipe game. You get bombs for every round and when you score 500 points.

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I am most often over 40,000 - level 17 when I play. Top score is just over 48,000. I'm shooting for 50,000 next. Here are my tips and tricks:

  • Scan the board for hard to use letters like Q, X Z, etc. Try to knock those out while you have a lot of letters on the board. Or just be aware of them as you go, so you don't end up with them at the end.
  • Learn words for those hard letters like: Qin, Qat, Qaf, Qua, Suq etc. It's good to have those in your head as you play, even though we don't commonly say those words - they are real.
  • Know that you can clear 3 or more connecting letters that are the same. So, if you're down on time and want to clear the board, and have three letter i's in a row, you can highlight them and it will accept it as a word but give no points. It's an option if short on time.
  • You have the chance to score more bonus bombs early in the game because you have less rows to clear before points work in your favor to get another bomb. So, consider NOT using a bomb to clear the board if you think you didn't do well that round. Instead save it because you can to rack up more bombs for later when you really need them in the higher fast levels. Use your bombs only when you think you have over 1500 that round is my strategy. You have to gauge that by instinct. I try to have at least 7 bombs by the end of level 10.
  • Bigger words are key! Just because you see a word, doesn't mean that you can't make it even bigger. For instance, if you see the word "sand" - before you click to score that word check if there is an "er" nearby to make it "sander" or an "ed" to make it "sanded" - take a moment in those lower levels to try to find bigger words that have more point values since there is more time to do that.
  • Avoid making any words less than four letters unless time starts running out on you. That game mindset helps me find bigger words from the get go. Especially in the lower levels.
  • When clearing rows - be sure to think vertically too. Only got one more row to clear? What is the fastest way to do that? I used to have a top down approach when first starting this game, - going row by row. Now, I try to work all around to have a small cube of letters near the end.
  • Try to clear the board automatically. For instance, if you have 6 letters left on the board, see if you can find 2 three-letter words to auto-clear the board without a bomb instead of finding a bigger 4 letter word - which leaves you only 2 letters left and having to use a bomb to clear the board. 
  • Be careful placing your bombs. I've thought I've placed one over some letters and it slightly missed one letter, so I didn't clear that board level. 
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Periodic Contributor

The first time I played this, not really knowing what I was doing, I hit 40K. Lucky strike, as I've rarely gotten that high again really (42-44K a time or three).

I really enjoy playing, so thank you for your tips. By the way, I've also learned to be cautious about placing the bombs. 

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Periodic Contributor

Firstly, Word Wipe takes multiple strategies to gain your goal.  There are two different goals.  One is to get as high a score as possible.  The other goal is to get as many lines cleared as is possible.  These are mutually exclusive goals.

In general Word Wipe recognizes some words that I have no idea are words. Also, it will recognize as a word any three letters that are the same, such as TTT. 

You always, regardless of the goal want to collect as many bombs as is possible so the 2 bonus bombs must be accessed every single line.  The most bombs that I have ever collected before I needed to use them were 38. If you do not break 30 bombs collected, however, the possibility of either scoring high or clearing a lot of lines is severely reduced.

I have cleared 30 lines a few times and gotten to line 32 once.  I have broken 50,000 several times and the highest score I have gotten is 52000.

The strategy for a high score is fairly simple, score between 1350-1650 each and every time, and then use the bombs to clear the board and double your score.  You must double each and every time in order to break 40,000 points.  The rest is up to the game's board layout.  Some layouts are conducive to either clearing without a bomb or gaining long words. Milestones to look for are getting either really close or breaking 15000 by line 5 and getting somewhere between 27000-30000 by line 10.  From there breaking 40,000 is fairly easy, getting to or past 50,000 is not so easy.

If the strategy is to get to or past line 30 however then bomb use management is crucial as is time and line management.  You must watch the clock. Once past line 15 the time goes down to 60 seconds.  This means you must clear as much from one side or the other in the first 30 seconds, and then start throwing bombs to break up clusters of all consonants or vowels.  Since triple letters such as EEE or XXX can be swiped do that quickly if you cannot make a word with them. Once you start throwing bombs words will appear and you can save a bomb or two by swiping the word, but time management is crucial.  That is pretty much it. 

I see scores of 100000 and I think that either a bot did that or it is a fake score or someone freezes the game and takes a screenshot figures out what they are going to do and then resumes the game.  I play strictly within the timeline and believe me time management is difficult for me to have learned and I still screw it up.

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Periodic Contributor

The insanely high scores are because players who play the game on the Washington Post website are somehow mixed in with those playing it via AARP site even though the WaPo players are playing a game in which they can collect unlimited numbers of bombs. They are not playing the same game, imo, and it is wrong for AARP to include those scores. (Although I think the scores are actually from Arkadia)

 

WaPo allows you to literally keep collecting bombs by agreeing to watch ads. I played on WaPo just to see how it worked. I collected 22 bombs, and by that time, the game just became about bombing your way off levels. I was so bored before I got to the end that I quit the game. Raching up points that way was simply not challenging at all.

 

I racked up tons of points, but it seemed so pointless to play it that way. So now I just play without paying attention to the scores which are, quite honestly, rigged against the players on the AARP site.

 

AARP should make it clear that that is how Word Wipe works, but I'm sure they want to keep the players on the AARP site instead of losing them to WaPo.

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Periodic Contributor

Search for the Wordwipe on the internet. It is much different and actual fun.

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Periodic Contributor

I agree that the uber-high scores that I found on Arkadia turned me away from playing at an otherwise worthwhile site Greater Good. Since Greater Good didn't care, I click but don't play games there anymore.

I'd hoped to find AARP different, but sadly it is not. I play without paying attention to high scores.

It is a game I use to wind down with at the end of the day. It takes my mind away from things, and sometimes that's a good thing. Woo Hoo!

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Periodic Contributor

Has anyone made it to level 20? I assume that would be the end of the game.

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Periodic Contributor

I've made it to level 20.  It's not the end of the game.

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Periodic Contributor

Wow, well done : ) What happens after level 20? I thought that would be the end of the game. Does the board get larger (more lines)?

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Regular Contributor

It doesn't get larger and time doesn't decrease. The rounds go on forever until you time out or run out of bombs to save the round.

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Periodic Contributor

If you score less than 11,000, you're probably not using the bombs to clear the board and not clearing the board without the bombs.  If you clear the board, you double your score.  So anything you can do to clear the board is really good.  From the way you write, you seem like you're probably good enough to reliably get more than 20,000.

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Periodic Contributor

  1. I have never been offered "bonus bombs" and have no idea what you would do to get them.  I have gotten more than 2,000 points in a round and then was able to double that, but not because of a bonus bomb. Usually, I run out of bombs about level ten or so, but I've managed to push through far enough to score almost 40,000.  Maybe I'm stupid.  Or maybe it's because I don't have a touch screen and have to use the **** mouse.
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Periodic Contributor

Today I clicked on the bonus bombs, and it showed me an ad for activities a group of us "oldies and goldies" did at a stadium. I used the time to flex my fingers basically. I do not know if one gets another option or if it is a one-time shot.

I use a mouse to play, and I cannot figure how one can play too much faster with a touch screen.

Great job on the 40K. Woo Hoo

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Periodic Contributor

The bonus bombs are the only way that I have figured out how to score higher numbers.  I am regularly breaking 50,000. I frequently break 60,000.  I have broken 100,000 once. When I play for lines,I regularly break 30 lines.  I have broken 80 lines once.  So much is dependent on how good the board is.  Also practicing helps.  Getting through in the time allotted is difficult.  Time and bomb management are two skills to acquire..

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Regular Contributor

The bonus bombs appeared a couple of months ago, and at first I ignored them thinking I'd have to watch ads between every round. I assumed everyone was getting them! There was an update to the game around the same  time... I access it through my Washington Post subscription, don't know if that has anything to do with it - but if I want to see my score on the leaderboard I have to be logged in at WaPo. Also I do have a touch screen but actually find the mouse quicker... If you always have used the same link to get to the game, maybe try searching for it and see if you get a different version, with the extra bombs? 

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Regular Contributor

This is the answer to so many people's question about the score differential. You explain it very well and I hope others see your response. I find it a bit disingenuous that others don't relay this to others who struggle to break into the higher scores. Thank you for providing this info to others. 

 

So the thing to do folks, as Susan points out, is to access WordWipe on a different site. From my experience, most sites provide the bonus bombs. However there are some that still just provide a straight up game where scoring 30,000, 40,000 can be quite a challenge. Thanks again Susan and I hope this explains to folks the score discrepancies that are seen. 

 

I am a prime example. On a "straight" game, I can get to 40,000 pts on a good day. With bonus bombs, I have gotten to 200,000 points and quit due to the length of time it was taking. Good luck!!

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Periodic Contributor

200,000 congratulations.  I have broken 100,000 once. 

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Trusted Contributor

There are also some good tips in the "WordWipe Scoring" topic.

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Regular Contributor

I can't find the "new message" button, so maybe this is just for you, Brad. I think the trick is to take the 2 bonus bombs every time they're offered - which happens in every round! (I always assumed it was 2 per game, but no!) And beginning in Round 16 (I think) you only get 60 seconds, but the time doesn't decrease after that. I discovered the thing about the bombs today and still am not scoring that well because I can't resist making more words as time runs out. I think my last game I got around 22K and left more than 20 bombs unused. I do use the pause button sometimes... Whether or not taking extra bombs and pausing are "cheating" is up to each player, I guess. I just want to have fun, and if I occasionally make the Leaderboard I am pleased with myself... That would be the *daily* Leaderboard." If only you can see this and you want to share, please do. 

 

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Regular Contributor

Ahh the greed of stretching the game for that one more word as the clock winds down and we have 20 bombs sitting there waiting to be used 🙂   I had to laugh and was relieved that someone else has had the same experience as I have done many times. I have found there is skill involved when managing that many bombs in a game. 

 

After a while a second sense is developed on time left and I know when to start getting ready to clear the board with bombs if needed. I've heard, and used the practice, of starting on the right side of the board so that the end of the timer has letters remaining on the left side of the board closer to where the bombs are picked up. I have cleared an amazing number of letters with 2-3 seconds left on the clock due to being able to quickly grab and drop 2-3 bombs to save my board. 

 

The game can be as simple or complex as we want it to be with skill levels varying. Just don't get greedy for that "just one more word" like I do!!! 🙂

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Periodic Contributor

How do I earn bombs. ????

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Periodic Contributor

How do you get 20 bombs??

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Regular Contributor

Someone above was kind enough to explain what has happened. I'll summarize by saying that some sites provide the additional 2 bomb per round option, while others do not. Here is the gist of this person's great comment:

 

"The bonus bombs appeared a couple of months ago, and at first I ignored them thinking I'd have to watch ads between every round. I assumed everyone was getting them! There was an update to the game around the same  time... I access it through my Washington Post subscription, don't know if that has anything to do with it - but if I want to see my score on the leaderboard I have to be logged in at WaPo. Also I do have a touch screen but actually find the mouse quicker... If you always have used the same link to get to the game, maybe try searching for it and see if you get a different version, with the extra bombs? "

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Periodic Contributor

I've never seen a bonus bomb.  Ever.  In any game, no matter what I did or how well or poorly I scored.  I've never been asked to view an ad.  Are we playing the same game?

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