Preview
What is Letter Nest?
Letter Nest is a word search game in your browser where you swipe across a letter grid to find every listed word, and the letters nobody used then spell a secret egg word. Its 30 levels climb through three nests: words run across or down in Meadow Nest, add diagonals in Cliff Nest and go all 8 ways in Treetop Nest, while lists grow from 6 to 14 words. There is no timer and misses cost nothing, so it suits young readers and short word breaks.
Key facts
- Genre
- Puzzle
- Players
- 1 (single player)
- Levels
- 30, in 3 nests of 10
- Grid size
- 6×6 up to 8×8 letters
- Word directions
- 2, then 4, then all 8
- Stars
- 3 with no hint, 2 with 1–2 hints
- Session length
- Under 5 min
- Platform
- Web browser
- Devices
- Desktop, tablet, mobile
- Price
- Free
- Sign-up
- Not required
How do you play Letter Nest?
Find every word in the list beside the grid. Swipe from a word's first letter to its last, or tap the first letter and then the last; a found word gets a coloured capsule and is ticked off the list. A line that spells no listed word is just a miss and costs nothing. When the last word is found, the letters no word used, read row by row from the top left, hatch the egg word. Words run across or down in Meadow Nest, add diagonals in Cliff Nest and go any of 8 ways, even backwards, in Treetop Nest.
Tips & strategy
- Hunt the longest word first: it covers the most cells, so the short words left over are easier to spot in a cleaner grid.
- Watch the egg's letter count: near the end, letters no remaining word can use belong to the egg word, so you can guess it early.
- In Cliff Nest, check slants from each first letter: diagonals there only run down-right or up-right, so always read them left to right.
- In Treetop Nest, words can run backwards: find a word's rarest letter and follow lines from it in all 8 directions.
- Save hints for the last word: one or two still give 2 stars, and the first press only rings a starting letter.
What are the controls in Letter Nest?
| ACTION | INPUT |
|---|---|
| Find a word | Swipe first to last letter, or tap both |
| Find a word | Drag across the word, or click both ends |
| Mark first and last letter | Arrow keys, Enter; Esc cancels |
| Hint | Hint button or H |
| Pause | Pause button, P or Esc |
Plays with keyboard, mouse, and touch. Fullscreen works in desktop and mobile browsers.
Letter Nest FAQ
What is the egg word in Letter Nest?
It is a secret word made of the letters no listed word uses. When you find the last word, those leftover cells, read row by row from the top left, light up and spell it, like BLOSSOM on the first Garden level. The egg shows its letter count while you play, and each theme's two levels hatch different words.
Which directions do words run in Letter Nest?
It depends on the nest. In Meadow Nest, levels 1 to 10, words run left to right or top to bottom. Cliff Nest, levels 11 to 20, adds the diagonals going down-right and up-right. Treetop Nest, levels 21 to 30, allows all 8 directions, so words can also run backwards or upwards.
What does a Hint ring or light up in Letter Nest?
The first press rings the first letter of the shortest word you have not found yet. Once every remaining word has a ring, the next press makes a whole word glow. Each press counts toward your stars: no hints gives 3 stars, one or two give 2, and more give 1.
Do wrong swipes cost stars in Letter Nest?
No. A swipe or tap that spells no listed word is only a miss: you hear a soft sound and see a short note, but stars depend on hints alone. You can try any line as often as you like, and no clock is running, so a level can take as long as you need.
Can a word appear twice in a Letter Nest grid?
No. Every listed word reads in exactly one place, forwards or backwards, so once you see it you have found the right one. The grids are also tested so random swipes almost never spell a listed word by accident, which means each find really comes from reading.
What happens when I switch language in Letter Nest?
You get a new grid built from words in that language, and the words found so far on that level start over. Each of the five languages has its own 30 puzzles: Vietnamese cells keep their tone marks, Japanese grids use kana and Hindi grids use whole syllables in smaller grids.
How big do the grids get in Letter Nest?
English grids start at 6×6 with 6 to 9 words and finish at 8×8 with up to 14 words in Treetop Nest. Japanese grids are one cell smaller, and Hindi grids stay at 6×6 or below, because each of their cells holds a whole syllable.
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