WordTrust

Why WordTrust?

• The group decides: Instead of arguing with a single built-in dictionary, WordTrust lets players vote on words together so the rules can match the room.
• Built for real multiplayer: Play over the internet, locally on a LAN, locally on Bluetooth, on a Reticulum, Freenet, or Hyphanet network — with seat changing, reconnect handling, and host controls designed for longer-running games.
• Flexible dictionaries: Mix and match dictionaries by language, grade level, or specialty lists, and optionally use consensus rules so everyone starts from the same baseline.
• Game modes that change the strategy: Timers, scoring modifiers, and rule variants turn the same board into different play styles.

Key features

Core gameplay

• Tile-grid word building with drag-and-drop placement (mouse + touch).
• Connected word rules and multi-direction validation modes (validate all words formed).
• Undo support and clear turn flow with safeguards and confirmations.
• Per-player scoring, configurable win conditions, and tie-break options.

Word voting & consensus

• Vote on words before they become final—great for house rules, slang, names, or learning environments.
• Consensus options (majority/threshold style) with UI cues for missing votes.
• History tracking for votes, bonuses, and notable events (like name changes).

Dictionaries & language support

• Multiple dictionaries with per-game selection and optional per-player variants.
• Dictionary tools: add/remove/toggle words, multi-select helpers, export/save-to-disk.
• Multi-language support including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Turkish, plus Cherokee (Tsalagi font + tiles + keyboard support).
• Specialized lists including grade-level vocabulary sets, taxonomy/common-name lists, periodic elements, readability/Flesch-Kincaid sets, and more.

Multiplayer & online play

• Internet play via server rooms (host/join)
• LAN (local area network) play with discovery helpers (including Wi-Fi discovery and QR sharing).
• Seats & room management: join / leave handling, reconnect-to-seat behavior, host migration, and player removal voting.
• Bluetooth play for nearby players with no network at all.
• Reticulum support for a direct, end-to-end encrypted peer-to-peer link.
• Freenet / Hyphanet support for asynchronous "play by turns" games.

Game modes & modifiers

WordTrust includes a growing library of optional, multi-select rule variants that can be enabled by vote (with host veto support). Examples include timed turns (fast/medium/long), scoring modifiers like long-word bonuses and risk multipliers, and rule twists that change how players build and judge words.

Nonhuman opponents

• Nonhuman players (coded by the devs - no LLMs) can play turns and participate in word judging.
• Configurable dictionaries for nonhumans, including randomized grade / readability sets.
• Turn-safety controls to reduce off-turn actions and keep multiplayer stable.

UX, accessibility, and polish

• Zoom & pan the board, plus centering controls.
• Search tools including history search and tile board search with wildcards.
• Visual clarity: active player highlights, ghosting/visibility cues, floating score feedback, dark mode, themed UI.
• Sound & feedback: turn cues, event sounds, per-event volume sliders, and optional animation settings.

Privacy & data use

WordTrust does not require an account and does not use analytics or advertising IDs. The only data stored on your device is your preferences, game settings, and any games you choose to save — none of it is uploaded anywhere unless you specifically share it.

The screen name you choose is shared with the other players in a game session so they know who they're playing with. Gameplay moves (tile placements, votes, scores) are exchanged with those same players over whichever connection method you pick, so the game can be played. WordTrust's developers never receive or store any of it. LAN and Bluetooth games are encrypted device-to-device and never leave your network or immediate area. Reticulum, Freenet, and Hyphanet games are end-to-end encrypted to the peer or node you connect to. Internet games pass through a hosted WordTrust server that passes moves between the players in that room in real time, and data sent is also end-to-end encrypted so the server itself can't read data. No data or metadata is recorded on the server.

If you choose to submit a bug report, you may optionally attach an in-app screenshot (which you can edit) along with basic device/app info and a short local activity log. This is only sent if you press the Send button, and it goes only to WordTrust's developers. Camera access is used solely on-device to scan a QR join code; nothing is captured or transmitted. Some services related to app installation, updates, or networking may be provided by platforms like Google Play or the Apple Store services and are governed by their own privacy policies. Neither Google nor Apple are directly integrated into WordTrust. For more detail, see the main Privacy Policy on this site.

Availability

WordTrust is an independent project being developed for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux. Availability and features may change as multiplayer stability, dictionaries, and game modes continue to improve.

Contact & feedback

For questions, bug reports, or suggestions about WordTrust, you can contact the team at "info at gamma gecko dot org" or "dev at sparks starlight solutions dot com" after turning them into email addresses (remove spaces and replace "at" with "@").

You can also reach us using the contact information included on the main Sparks Starlight Solutions page.