Blind Spot
Blind Spot Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 18 double-sided letter tiles
- 1 glasses tile
- 80 spots: 20 each in 4 colors
- 4 30-second sand timers
- This rulebook
Note: The small number on the bottom of each tile is for reference only and doesn't impact gameplay. Using the numbers on the tiles, you can create your own setups and your friends can copy them to try them out!
Setup
-
Randomly select 9 of the letter tiles and create the board by laying them out in a 3 x 3 grid, with all letters facing the same direction. It does not matter which side of the tile you use.
The small number on the bottom of each tile is for reference only and doesn't impact gameplay. Using the numbers on the tiles, you can create your own setups and your friends can copy them to try them out!
-
Each player takes all the spots of one color. If playing with 2 players, one player takes the red and yellow spots and the other takes the blue and green spots (40 spots each).
Play
Starting with the player with the best eyesight, players take turns in clockwise order. On your turn, start by flipping your timer. You now have just 30 seconds to spot a word!
To spot a word, you must place one of your spots on a vacant letter. You must then announce a valid word formed by reading across that spot using the following rules:
- The word must be made from letters in a straight, orthogonal line.
- The word may be read up, down, forwards, or backwards.
- Your just-placed spot may not be on the first or last letter in the word. Letters from both sides of the spot must contribute to forming the word.
- The word may include any number of your own spots but cannot include any spots belonging to another player.
- The word must be a dictionary word at least 3 letters long. If there is a dispute, have a vote among the players or consult an agreed upon dictionary. A list of allowed 3-letter words is provided at the end of this rulebook.
Farsighted Bonus
If your word is 5 letters long or more, you may immediately place a bonus spot of your color anywhere on the board! This spot does not have to form a word, so you can use it to block your opponents.
Glasses
If a player fails to spot a word in time, they must put one of their spots on the glasses tile. The next player then takes their turn as usual.
If this is the player's first spot on the glasses tile, they may now play words by reading diagonally in addition to orthogonally. Words may also be read forwards or backwards as usual.
If this is the player's second spot placed on the glasses tile, they are eliminated from the game.
The last player still spotting wins!
Examples of Play
- Red made the word PET (reading left).
- Blue responded with TALE (reading up).
- Red cannot cover the A on the fourth row to make TIE as she is not reading across the newly placed spot.
- Red also cannot cover the A to make WELT because she is not allowed to read over her opponent's spot. However, she has many other possible choices such as tea, goo, ego, tow, and roe.
- Red decides to place a spot on the E on the bottom row and play OPT.
Team Game
Four players may play as two teams. The players with the red and yellow spots form a team, and the players with the blue and green spots form the other team. Each player controls one color. The members of each team sit alternately with the other team.
The rules are the same as in the normal game, with the following exceptions:
- Words may be spotted reading over both your spots and over your teammate's spots.
- Players should decide whether or not you wish to allow teammates to communicate with each other.
- As soon as one team member has a spot on the glasses tile, both members of the team may then play diagonal words.
- The first team to have one of their players place their second spot on the glasses tile loses the game, and the other team wins!
Solo Play
Take all of the red and blue spots. Your goal is to get as many red spots on the glasses tile before you add your second blue spot to the glasses tile. If you run out of spots, continue by using the green spots for blue, and the yellow spots for red.
Following the usual rules, play a blue spot first, then play a red spot. Continue to alternate turns between the colors. You must play a word if you can. When you can no longer play a specific color, place that color's spot on the glasses tile. As usual, one spot on the glasses tile enables you to use that color to play words that read diagonally.
After placing a second spot on the glasses tile, you can no longer use that color to play words on the board, but you should continue to add a spot to the glasses tile each turn that color would have been played. The game ends when the second blue spot is placed onto the glasses tile. Your score is equal to the number of red spots on the glasses tile.
Solo Scoring
- 0 - 3: Get those eyes checked!
- 4 - 9: Slightly blurry...
- 10 - 15: Seeing clearly
- 16+: 20/20 vision!
Allowed 3-Letter Words
The following words are allowed as 3-letter words in Blind Spot.
A-M
ace, aye, but, deb, end, fro, hap, inn, lay, mix, act, baa, buy, del, ens, fry, has, ins, lea, moa, add, bad, bye, den, eon, fug, hat, ion, led, mob, ado, bag, cab, dew, era, fun, haw, ire, lee, mod, ads, bah, cad, dib, ere, fur, hay, irk, leg, mog, aft, bam, cam, did, erg, gab, heh, ism, lei, mol, age, ban, can, die, err, gad, hem, its, lek, mom, ago, bap, cap, dig, eta, gag, hen, ivy, let, mon, aha, bar, car, dim, eth, gal, her, jab, ley, moo, aid, bat, cat, din, eve, gam, hew, jag, lib, mop, ail, bay, caw, dip, ewe, gap, hex, jam, lid, mor, aim, bed, cay, dit, eye, gar, hey, jar, lie, mow, air, bee, chi, doc, fab, gas, hic, jaw, lip, mud, ait, beg, cob, doe, fad, gat, hid, jay, lit, mug, alb, bel, cod, dog, fag, gay, hie, jet, lob, mum, ale, bet, cog, dol, fan, gee, him, jib, log, all, bey, col, dom, far, gel, hip, jig, loo, alp, bib, con, don, fat, gem, his, job, lop, alt, bid, coo, dos, fax, gen, hit, joe, lot, amp, big, cop, dot, fay, get, hob, jog, low, ana, bin, cos, dow, fed, gib, hod, jot, lox, and, bio, cot, dry, fee, gid, hoe, joy, lug, ant, bis, cow, dub, fem, gig, hog, jug, luv, any, bit, cox, dud, fen, gin, hon, jut, lux, ape, biz, coy, due, few, git, hop, kea, lye, app, boa, coz, dug, fey, gnu, hot, keg, mad, apt, bob, cru, dun, fez, goa, how, ken, mag, arc, bod, cry, duo, fib, gob, hoy, key, man, are, bog, cub, dye, fid, god, hub, kid, map, ark, boo, cud, ear, fie, goo, hue, kin, mar, arm, bop, cue, eat, fig, got, hug, kip, mat, art, bot, cup, ebb, fin, goy, huh, kit, maw, ash, bow, cur, eel, fir, gum, hum, koa, max, ask, box, cut, eft, fit, gun, hut, kob, may, asp, boy, dab, egg, fix, gut, ice, koi, med, ass, bra, dad, ego, flu, guv, icy, lab, mel, ate, bro, dag, eke, fly, guy, ids, lac, men, auk, bud, dal, elf, fob, gym, iff, lad, met, ave, bug, dam, elk, foe, had, ifs, lag, mew, awe, bum, dan, ell, fog, hag, ilk, lam, mho, awl, bun, dap, elm, fop, hah, ill, lap, mic, awn, bur, daw, ems, for, haj, imp, law, mid, axe, bus, day, emu, fox, ham, ink, lax, mil
N-Z
nab, orc, pow, rot, son, too, wen, nag, ore, pox, row, sop, top, wet, nan, ort, pro, rub, sot, tor, who, nap, oud, pry, rue, sow, tot, why, nay, our, psi, rug, soy, tow, wig, nee, out, pub, rum, spa, toy, win, net, ova, pud, run, spy, try, wit, new, owe, pug, rut, sty, tub, wiz, nib, owl, pun, rye, sub, tug, woe, nil, own, pup, sac, sue, tui, wok, nim, pad, pus, sad, sum, tun, won, nip, pal, put, sag, sun, tut, woo, nit, pan, pyx, sal, sup, tux, wow, nix, pap, rad, sap, tab, two, wry, nob, par, rag, sat, tad, uke, xor, nod, pat, rah, saw, tag, ump, yag, nog, paw, raj, sax, taj, ups, yah, noh, pax, ram, say, tan, urn, yak, nor, pay, ran, sea, tao, use, yam, not, pea, rap, sec, tap, ute, yap, now, ped, rat, see, tar, vac, yaw, nub, pee, raw, seg, tat, van, yay, nun, peg, ray, set, tau, vas, yea, nut, pen, rec, sew, taw, vat, yen, oaf, pep, red, sex, tax, vet, yes, oak, per, ref, she, tea, vex, yet, oar, pet, reg, shy, ted, via, yew, oat, pew, rep, sib, tee, vie, yin, obi, phi, ret, sic, teg, vim, yip, oca, pia, rev, sim, ten, vis, yob, odd, pic, rex, sin, the, vow, yon, ode, pie, rho, sip, thy, vox, you, off, pig, ria, sir, tic, vug, yum, oft, pin, rib, sis, tie, wad, zag, ohm, pip, rid, sit, til, wag, zap, oil, pit, rig, six, tin, wan, zig, old, pix, rim, ska, tip, war, zip, one, ply, rip, ski, tit, was, zit, ooh, pod, rob, sky, tod, wax, zoo, ops, poi, roc, sly, toe, way, opt, poo, rod, sob, tog, web, ora, pop, roe, sod, tom, wed, orb, pot, rom, sol, ton, wee