Word Bits
Word Bits Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Players take turns drawing a category card and rolling the letter dice. All players then quickly think of a word that contains all the revealed letters. The first player to call out and then properly spell a valid word collects the card. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins!
What's in the Box
- 80 Category Cards
- 4 Letter Dice
- 1 Storage Bag
Setup
- Shuffle the category cards, and place them facedown in the middle of the play area. This becomes the draw pile.
- Place the letter dice alongside the draw pile within reach of all players.
To determine who goes first, everyone rolls a die and the person who rolls the letter closest to "Z" starts the first round.
How to Play
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On your turn, draw the top card from the draw pile, read the category out loud and then display the card faceup for all players to see. Take the number of dice shown on the card, and roll them onto the middle of the play area. As soon as the dice are rolled, all players compete with each other to think of a single word that fits the category shown on the card and contains the letters shown on the dice. The word needs to contain all the letters shown, but they may occur in any part of the word and in any order.
(The rulebook illustrates this with example category cards ENGINE, CHESS and HELICOPTER.)
The first player to call out and correctly spell a valid word wins the round. The winner of the round collects the category card and keeps it facedown in front of themselves. This player now gets to start the next round, and the game continues.
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In the case that no player can call out a word that works, the card is discarded into the box and the player who started the round reveals a new card and rolls again.
End of Game
The game ends when all the cards in the draw pile have been played. The player who collected the most cards is the winner!
In the case of a tie, roll all four dice into the middle of the play area. The first tied player to call out any word that contains all four letters showing on the dice wins the tie!
Try This
Shorter Game
For a faster alternative, play with fewer cards in the draw pile.
Grammar Focus
At the start of each round, players can specify that words should be nouns, adjectives or verbs.
Additional Languages
Players can practice their knowledge of additional languages. Read the card in English and then come up with answers in Spanish, French, German or other Latin-based languages.
Read the category card and quickly come up with an answer in your language of choice. Your answer must include the letters you rolled. Say and spell the word, then ask other players if they know the English translation.
The player who begins the round does not need to spell the English translation, nor does the English word need to include letters shown on the dice.
(The rulebook illustrates this with the example card PERRO.)
Learning Objectives
- Reading & Language Arts: Players practise spelling and vocabulary, and the game is listed in this category.
- Spelling and Vocabulary: Using the letters shown on the dice, players spell the words they call out within a given category.
- Quick Thinking: Everyone plays at the same time trying to be the first to think of a word in the category on the card.