There are 20 islands to explore. Each island is one long map, and every island’s map is different.

Each island has sets of 10 words. Every set is a level with its own place on the map, like Daisy Dash and Back-to-Front Brook. Finish a level to open the next one, a little further along the path. Laughing Bridge’s path ends at Jumble Tower.

The first island, Laughing Bridge, is free. A grown-up can open the other islands.

Every set starts with 10 new words on magic scrolls.

Tap the wax seal to hear the word. Tap Unroll the scroll to see what it means, a funny example and other words that mean the same.

Tap Got it ✨ if you know it, or Still tricky if you’d like more practice.

Now take your words on a journey! Each question is a hurdle on the path: a Muddler, a log, a stream, a campfire, or both at once.

Answer the question right and your hero clears the hurdle all by themselves: they jump, bounce, slide, dash or put up a bubble shield, whatever the hurdle needs. You don’t have to press anything. Just think about the word!

There are four kinds of question:

• 📖 Meaning: what does the word mean?
• 🔁 Synonym: which word means the same?
• ✏️ Fill the gap: which word fits the sentence?
• 💬 Usage: which sentence uses the word correctly?

Got one wrong? Don’t worry! The Muddler throws something soft and splatty, and then your pet comes to help: the owl carries you over, the cat rolls a ball of wool to distract it, and the dragon puffs a bubble. You always carry on.

Sometimes a set begins with up to 3 “Remember this one?” words from before, as a warm-up.

Count Muddlewort loves jumbling words, and his silly helpers, the Muddlers, get in your way. A right answer unmuddles them and they burst into daisies! 🌼

• Blotling

  It wobbles towards you, dripping ink.

  Bounce!

• Typo

  It hops about the path.

  Hop over!

• Scribblewing

  It swoops in loops.

  Slide under!

• Smudger

  It rolls along the path.

  Jump it!

• Slambook

  It slams down from above.

  Dash past!

• Quibble

  It flies over and flicks ink.

  Bubble shield!

You meet them one at a time. The first time a new one turns up, it says hello with a “New!” card.

On the other islands the Muddlers dress up: pirate hats at Pirate Cove, bobble hats in the Ice Caves, antennae on Star Station. Every island has its own hurdles too, from sandcastles to snowmen.

The last hurdle of every level is a guardian: a Muddler wearing a crown, guarding the treasure.

On Laughing Bridge, levels 4, 8 and 12 end with a big guardian: Giant Smudger, The Grand Slambook and Queen Quibble. Every island has three. They’re big, but one right answer still unmuddles them!

Look out for floating letter bubbles between the hurdles. There are two in every level. Your hero pops them on the way past for 1 coin and 50 points, even if the answer before was wrong.

Your hero starts each adventure with 3 of 5 hearts.

A right answer fills a heart and your hero grins. A wrong answer empties one and your hero looks worried.

Hearts never run out! If you get down to your last heart, your pet shares a snack 🍎 and gives you one back. Every heart left at the end is a bonus coin and 100 points.

Every level ends at a treasure chest full of coins. Then the path carries on to the next part of the map.

Reach the very end of an island and you find its big treasure chest, worth 2,000 points!

You also earn stars for each level:

• ⭐⭐⭐ 9 or more right out of 10
• ⭐⭐ 7 or 8 right
• ⭐ fewer than 7, and you still get a star for finishing!

If fewer than 7 were right, you can play a short Bonus round with the words you missed, so they sink in, or save them for tomorrow.

Coins are for spending. Points (below) are your score.

• A right answer, first try+2
• A right answer in the Bonus round, or replaying a set+1
• A letter bubble+1
• Finishing a set (1, 2 or 3 stars)+5 / 8 / 15
• Each heart left at the end+1
• Your first adventure each day+5
• A right answer in a warm-up or review+1
• Opening the review chest+8
• A Tricky rescue+10
• An Island Challenge (1, 2 or 3 stars)+10 / 15 / 25

Your score is kept across every island, and it only ever goes up. Right answers in a row add a little extra: 🔥

• A right answer+100 🏆
• Each right answer in a row, after the first (up to +50)+10 🏆
• A right answer in a Bonus round, replay, warm-up or review+50 🏆
• A letter bubble+50 🏆
• A level’s treasure chest (the first time)+500 🏆
• A level’s treasure chest (playing again)+100 🏆
• Each heart left at the end+100 🏆
• An island’s big treasure chest+2,000 🏆
• The showdown with 1 star+500 🏆
• The showdown with 2 stars+1,000 🏆
• The showdown with 3 stars+1,500 🏆

Words you mark Still tricky, or get wrong twice, go into the Tricky pouch. Tap the pouch button on the home screen to see them.

A rescue practises 5 tricky words at a time. Get a word right on two different days and it floats free like a balloon! 🎈

Rescues and the review chest are adventures too, with hurdles from the levels you’ve already cleared.

Words you’ve learnt come back to visit, just before you might forget them. That’s how they stay in your memory for good.

Each time you remember a word, it waits longer before coming back: 1 day, then 3, then 7, 14, 30 and 60 days. If you forget it, no problem: it comes back tomorrow.

When words are ready, the 🧠 Review chest button glows on the home screen. It holds up to 10 words with no learning step: just remember them! Get a word right on 3 different days and it’s mastered.

Play on any day to grow your streak. Five minutes is plenty!

Missed a day? Each week you get one free streak freeze ❄️ that saves your streak for you.

When every level on an island has at least one star, the big treasure chest at the end of the map opens the Island Challenge: a showdown with Count Muddlewort!

He asks 12 words from the whole island, with a silly joke before each one. Every right answer unmuddles a word and shrinks his Muddle meter. A wrong one? He throws a soft splat balloon, and your pet helps you up.

However it goes, he always runs away in the end, off to the next island! Win a golden crown 👑 on the map, and try again any time for more stars.

Your adventure is saved on this phone, tablet or computer.

Ask a grown-up to tap the cloud button on the home screen and save it with a free account. Then you can carry on from any device.