Wordsmith
Use meaning clues and per-letter feedback to infer, spell, and learn one exact word.
Wordsmith is a word-inference game. The reviewed examples here allow five guesses; some harder app trials can add a sixth support attempt. Each trial starts with a theme or category clue, then checks every typed letter against one reviewed target word. A later clue narrows the meaning while the letter colors narrow the spelling. Across 85 levels, familiar five-letter nouns with a simple keyboard grow into longer, less familiar words, repeated-letter decisions, stacked semantic clues, broader opening themes, and Advanced Challenge vocabulary.
- 1 active format, several visible stages
- The opening clue, submitted guesses, midpoint clue, solved word, and answer reveal are successive states of one semantic word trial, not separate game types.
- Meaning and spelling work together
- Clues narrow what the word means. Green letters are in the exact position, yellow letters belong elsewhere, and letters marked absent are ruled out for that trial.
- A definition arrives before the last guess
- The full definition appears before the final guess as one last meaning clue. In these reviewed five-guess examples, that means before guess five. After a solve or final miss, the terminal card keeps the target word and definition together.
- Level range
- Levels 1-85 · Preschool through Advanced Challenge
See one complete Level 1 Wordsmith trial
This reviewed CLOUD trial shows how a broad WEATHER clue, letter feedback, a more specific clue, and the final definition belong to one generated word.
- 1
Start from the meaning clue
WEATHER is the opening clue and five empty boxes set the required word length. At this level, the keyboard is arranged alphabetically.
- 2
Use each guess as evidence
Every submitted row marks letters that are exact, present elsewhere, or absent. After several guesses, NATURAL EVENT replaces the opening clue to narrow the possible meaning.
- 3
Connect the spelling to the word
When CLOUD is entered, the solved row and keyboard feedback remain visible and the app shows its definition: a white or gray puff in the sky made of tiny drops or frozen crystals.
This example stays the same on the website so you can compare it. The app creates new problems during play.
One semantic word trial, compared from its opening clue through the solved state
The early and later examples come from the production word builder at their stated levels. Switch the screenshot stage to see what the child knows before a guess, after letter feedback and a second clue, and when the exact word is solved.
Clue-guided word inference
Infer one target word from staged meaning clues, then use feedback on each submitted letter to refine the next guess.
A familiar five-letter noun introduced by WEATHER, one changing clue slot, and an alphabetic keyboard becomes an eight-letter academic verb introduced by THINKING, supported by stacked THINKING and CHANGE clues, and entered on a QWERTY keyboard. This is a change in vocabulary, ambiguity, clue structure, and spelling load, not merely word length.
Clue-guided word inference · Later challenge · Level 85 The numbered or highlighted items show the child's response so far; the task is still in progress.
Clue-guided word inference · Later challenge · Olympiad / Honors Synthesis · Level 85 of 85
- What the child is solving
- Infer one target word from staged meaning clues, then use feedback on each submitted letter to refine the next guess.
- What counts as correct
- conflate
The numbered or highlighted items show the child's response so far; the task is still in progress.
A miss still ends with the exact word and meaning
This Level 85 CONFLATE trial keeps the same target and submitted guesses from start to finish. The final screenshot is the app's native answer-reveal state, not a reconstructed web example.
- 1
Interpret the stacked clues
THINKING is broad; CHANGE narrows the target toward an action word. Eight boxes show that the answer has eight letters.
- 2
Combine letter states across guesses
Green, yellow, and ruled-out keyboard letters accumulate across all five attempts, so each new row should respect the evidence already shown.
- 3
Reveal the reviewed target
After the fifth miss, the unchanged trial is labelled Revealed and shows CONFLATE with the definition: to mix two different things together as if they were the same.
What genuinely changes across the full level path
The comparisons add new rules, operations, representations, interactions, and reasoning steps. Larger numbers or longer item lists alone are not treated as proof that a challenge is harder.
Start with a familiar five-letter word
At Level 1, WEATHER points toward CLOUD. The trial uses an alphabetic keyboard, one clue slot, and five letter boxes.
Switch keyboards and track repeated letters
At Level 11, LETTER expands the trial to six boxes. QWERTY replaces the alphabetic rows, while repeated T and E positions make duplicate-letter feedback part of the deduction.
Keep two meaning clues visible
At Level 16, SPACE and SCIENCE remain stacked above the five-letter COMET trial while a QWERTY keyboard and prior guesses stay visible.
Infer a longer word from broader clues
At Level 46, MOVEMENT and BODY AND SENSES guide a seven-letter RECLINE trial. Three submitted guesses leave both semantic and letter-position evidence to combine.
Reach Advanced Challenge vocabulary
At Level 85, THINKING and CHANGE lead to the eight-letter verb CONFLATE. The solved state keeps the answer beside its definition: to mix different things as if they were the same.
What the child is practising in the visible task
These are bounded practice goals tied to the actions shown above, not promises that one game replaces teaching or proves mastery.
Infer from meaning
The child connects a broad theme, a more specific clue, and finally a definition to one word.
Revise from exact letter evidence
Each guess provides position-specific information that should change the next spelling attempt.
Learn the word after play
The terminal card pairs the reviewed answer with a plain definition whether the word was solved or revealed.
Fixed website examples, fresh app practice
The iPhone screenshots in this guide show reviewed examples checked against the app's current problem and answer rules. Use the controls to compare exact app states; the screenshots stay fixed so families can inspect them. At launch, the app will create new practice at the child's own level. Viewing this guide does not change app progress or earn anything toward a Screen Time unlock.
iPhone app screenshots
Use the controls to compare fixed problem and mistake or explanation screenshots. Viewing them does not change app progress or award access points.
Full Braincove app at launch
This website guide keeps a small reviewed set fixed so families can inspect and compare exact states. In the app, Wordsmith selects fresh reviewed word content for the child's level and available content locale, changes word length, clue presentation, semantic ambiguity, spelling demands, and keyboard layout, uses five guesses by default, and can add a sixth support attempt on some harder trials. Core practice can continue through a temporary connection gap; family sync, Daily, homework, and cross-device updates still need connectivity.
Get the app launch email