Letter★Fest with SallySue - Help & Rules
Letter★Fest with SallySue is a fun,
challenging word game where you and your AI partner, SallySue,
build on a crossword-like grid. There’s no rack of letters to
limit your play—just your imagination.
Core Concepts
Mastering Letter★Fest means understanding two key ideas:
- Tokens Are Single-Use: A token is a
2–5 letter string you create (like
WAVE or ING). Each token can be
used only once per game by either you or
SallySue, making common fragments a valuable resource.
- Words vs. Fragments: Tokens can be full
words or non-word fragments (like
TION or
PRE), as long as their placement forms valid
words on the board.
A
AB
CAT
GAME
STONE
PLANET
How to Play
You and SallySue take turns. On your turn, you can:
- Place a token
- Check a word
- Pass your turn
- Save your game
1. Placing a Token
To place a token:
- Type a
2–5 letter token in the
Create field and tap
Create.
- Tap Across or Down to set
direction.
- Tap a starting square on the board.
- Your token must touch at least one letter already on the
board.
- Overlaps are allowed only if the letters match exactly.
- Every word created or modified must be in the game’s
dictionary.
- No word may exceed 8 letters after your placement.
- You cannot reuse a token already played by either player.
- The same word (e.g.,
GAMES) can appear multiple
times in a game.
Overlap: Bad
✕
You can’t place A before LIVE
to make ALIVE unless the overlapped letters match.
Overlap: Good
✓
Placing AL overlapping the “L” forms
ALIVE.
Examples:
Adding ER to GAME makes
GAMER (5 points).
Adding ERS to GAMER, overlapping the ER part makes
GAMERS (6 points).
Filling the gap in H_L_ creates
HOLE (4 points).
Tile Appearance
- Tile Colors: Your letters appear gold;
SallySue’s appear green.
- Fragment Indicator: Non-word fragment tokens
are shown with an overline.
Y
You (gold)
S
SallySue (green)
I
Fragment (overline)
2. Checking a Word
To check a word before playing:
- Type the word (
2–8 letters) in the input field.
- Tap Check.
- The game will confirm if it’s in the dictionary.
3. Passing Your Turn
Tap Pass to skip your turn.
Warning: Passing three turns in a row ends the game.
You’ll be reminded after your second consecutive pass.
4. Saving Your Game
You can save your progress at any time during your turn and resume later.
- Click the Save Game button, located next to the "New Game" button. The current board, scores, and used tokens will be saved to your browser.
- When you next open the game, a prompt will ask if you want to resume. Click OK to load your saved game or Cancel to discard the save and start a new game.
Note: You cannot save the game while it is SallySue's turn. Please wait for your turn to begin before saving.
Important: Clicking the New Game button will permanently erase any saved game data.
Scoring
- Score = total length of all new words formed on your turn.
The “Last Move” panel shows newly formed words and updated scores.
Click any word on the grid or in the score list to view its definition.
Example: With
FUEL and
GAME placed
vertically, playing
SELLS horizontally on the row below
pluralizes both, creating
FUELS,
GAMES, and
SELLS (15 points total).
F
U
E
L
G
A
M
E
S
E
L
L
S
FUELS = 5
GAMES = 5
SELLS = 5
Strategy & Nuances
- Token Scarcity: Each token is unique. Playing
ING to make SING means neither player
can use ING again, but RING or
BRING remain available.
- Board Control vs. Points: Sometimes a
low-scoring move is worth it to block a high-value opportunity
for SallySue.
Playing with SallySue
Choose a Skill Level (1–100) at the start.
SallySue’s recent move is always highlighted.
Skill Level Guide:
- 1–25: Beginner
- 26–50: Intermediate
- 51–75: Advanced
- 76–100: Expert
Dynamic Skill Adjustment
Difficulty can adjust after each game to keep matches competitive.
Ending the Game & Winning
- First to 100 points wins.
- Three consecutive passes ends the game.
Pass Streak:
PASS
PASS
PASS
Conclusion
Letter★Fest’s simple rules hide a deep, strategic challenge.
With SallySue, every token counts!
