How to play Zarbdar

Updated 3 October 2026

Zarbdar is a crossword you build as you play. Each turn you type any real English word that fits a row of squares, keeping the letters already in them, and it locks into a grid that grows with every word.

There are no clues and no single right answer. This page covers every rule, with the exact numbers the game uses.

What is the goal in Zarbdar?

The goal in Zarbdar is to finish the board: place every word it asks for. A first board has 8 words, and each level adds one more, up to what your screen can hold. Along the way you score points for each word, and the points carry over from board to board.

How do you play a turn?

1. Look at the open row of squares. Some may already hold letters from words on the board.
2. Think of any real English word with exactly that many letters that keeps those letters in place.
3. Type it, square by square, including the letters already shown.
4. When every square is filled, the word plays itself. A good word locks in; a wrong one is deleted so you can try again.
5. The next row appears, crossing a word already on the board.

Do you have to type the letters already on the board?

Yes, in Zarbdar you type every square of the word, including the letters already in place. If you type a different letter on one of them, that square turns red and the word is refused. There is one exception: when hints have filled a word down to its last empty square, typing that one missing letter finishes it.

How are words scored?

A word in Zarbdar scores the sum of its letter values, multiplied by how rare the word is. Common letters are worth 1 point; Q and Z are worth 10.

Rarer words are worth more. The game rates each word by how often it appears in English:

What is the chain multiplier?

The chain is the number of words you place in a row without a mistake or a hint. From the third word in a chain, your points are multiplied, and the multiplier climbs the longer the chain runs. Any wrong word or any hint resets the chain to zero.

What does a hint cost?

A hint in Zarbdar places one correct letter in the word and costs 5 points. That letter scores nothing when the word is played, and the hint resets your chain. You can keep taking hints until one empty square is left; the last letter is always yours to find.

What do Not bad, Good job, Amazing and Excellent mean?

After each word, Zarbdar praises it by its own points, before the chain multiplier:

The Excellent stamp is rare on purpose: it takes a long word, rare letters, a rare word, or all three.

Which words are allowed?

Zarbdar accepts more than 73,000 English words. A word is refused when it is not in the dictionary, when it changes a letter already in place, or when it would make a non-word where it touches another word on the board. Each word family counts once per board, so after playing PLAY you can't also play PLAYS. Offensive words are filtered out.

How do levels work?

Every board you finish moves you up one level. Each level adds one word to the next board, up to what your screen holds, and the longest words offered grow with your level:

The game also learns how you play. Crossings stay challenging but solvable, and as you improve, the words it builds the board around get rarer.

How do badges work?

Badges in Zarbdar are earned by your total points across all boards, and once earned they are never lost.

Tips for a higher score

• Reach for longer words: every letter adds points, and long words are often rarer.
• Use J, K, Q, X and Z when they fit; one of them can double a word's points.
• Protect your chain. Try one more guess before taking a hint; a hint resets the chain and costs 5 points.
• Look at the letters already in place first: they narrow the choice quickly.