Quick Words is a dynamic and fast-paced, fun word game designed by Tactic Games that challenges players to think quickly and flex their vocabulary muscles. The aim of the game is to be the fastest player to construct words from the specific letters that appear on the dice after they are rolled. But there’s a twist. Players only score points when they have words that nobody else has!
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It’s a competitive game that combines speed, word knowledge, and quick thinking, making it an excellent choice for use as a family game, party game, team game, educational game (in school), or a casual get-together with friends.
- Manufacturer Recommended Age 8+.
- Play Time 10 Minutes Approx.
- 2+ Players
Buy Quick Words Here – Amazon, The Range
If you like this you may also be interested in some of the other word games we’ve reviewed… Lex Go!, Frenetic and Pass The Bomb
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Page Contents
What’s In The Box
Inside the Quick Words game box, players will find the following components;
- 7 glassy red coloured dice with letters instead of numbers
- 1 blank glassy red coloured dice that acts like a joker
- a sand timer (ours was about 55 seconds)
- a score pad
- 4 small pencils (I managed to lose one so you won’t see 4 in many photos)
- Instructions that clearly outline the game’s rules are handily printed on the inside of the lid. Which means they won’t get lost!
It is also helpful to have scrap paper available for players to use to use. And depending on the age of players a screen to hide their words behind.
Aim Of The Game
The aim of Quick Words is to construct words quickly, before the timer runs out, using the letters rolled each round. The problem is that to score points, players must come up with different words to everyone else.
How to Play Quick Words
Quick Words is for 2+ players, age 8+ and takes about 10-15 minutes per game (depending on any rule adjustments and the players involved). The rules are straightforward to follow.
The game is played over 4 relatively quick rounds.
- Each round starts with a player rolling all the dice.
- Once the dice settle, the sand timer is started, and all players simultaneously begin to find three words using the letters shown on the dice and write them on the score sheet.
- When the sand timer runs out, the round finishes, and players must stop writing.
- Players add up their points and the player with the highest score wins
How To Use The Quick Words Score Sheet
The score sheet pad is designed with two score sheets on each page. They are designed to be cut in half, but if you’re playing more than one game I would just give a whole sheet to each player. It’s very easy to use with ample space for writing.
- The score sheet has 12 rows you can write in, with various word lengths.
- 3x three-letter word rows
- 5x four-letter word rows
- 3 x five-letter word rows
- 1x seven-letter word row
- You can write in any row but the word must use up all the spaces
- Each letter on the dice can only be used once in each word
How To Score Points At The End Of Each Round
Players only score points when they create/write a unique word.
- If two or more players have the same word no-one gets any points and zero is written on the score pad.
- If a player writes a word written in a previous round they do not score any points.
- If a player has written a word that no other player has written this round or during previous rounds they score full points for that row
2 Player Game Rules
If there are only 2 players the rules change slightly.
- Only 3 rounds are played
- In each round players write 4 words
Buy Quick Words Here – Amazon, The Range
Quick Words Game Adaptations
Quick Words’ versatility also allows for various alternative ways to play, making it adaptable to different group sizes and ages. Some variations include:
- It can be tricky for some players to visualise words in dice that are at different angles and upside down, so having a piece of paper to write the letters on can be useful
- Extend the time depending on who is playing and what their needs are
- Give someone with dyslexia 25% extra time. It can make the game more enjoyable for them whether they are an adult or child.
- Give younger players longer when playing with mixed ages
- Remove the blank dice to make it harder
- Change the quantity of certain word lengths to make it easier or more difficult.
- Play in Teams
- For solo play see how many words you can get in a set period of time.
What Did We Think of Quick Words?
Quick Words is well-designed, and beautiful to look at (the dice are delicious!), and all the components are well-made. I like that the instruction leaflet is inside the box lid and that the score pads are a decent size with plenty of space for writing.
It is very fast-paced, which some players may find a little tricky to start with. So I would recommend extending the length of time initially for all players to help get everyone used to how it works. We often do a couple of ‘open’ rounds with new players where we openly talk about which words we can see in the letters, which words we would have written, why they’re tactically better than others etc. This is particularly useful with younger kids who may need a little extra practice picking the words they think other players aren’t going to use to score points.
Game PLay
The way the points are scored is what makes the Quick Words edgy and stand out from other word puzzle games. Winning is not just about quickly writing down the first words you see there are tactics involved.
The length of words is controlled, with a specific amount of 3, 4, 5 and 7 letter words needing to be found by all players.
- 3x three-letter word rows
- 5x four-letter word rows
- 3 x five-letter word rows
- 1x seven-letter word row
Simple three-letter words might be easy to spot but will everyone else see them as well, resulting in zero points? And because 3 letter words are easy to spot it might be handy to leave a row clear so you’re not caught out at the end… no words also results in zero points. Longer, more difficult words score more points, but they also take up valuable time to spot! And the dice letters face different ways when they land which also impacts how the brain visualises potential words.
It’s also beneficial to try and remember which rows other players have used as you can try and sabotage their score, especially when the dice are being difficult.
Extra’s
I’d also recommend using a mobile phone as a timer. It’s difficult to keep an eye on the sand timer while concentrating on writing letters. Plus it’s easier to change the time limit depending on who’s playing.
Finally, there are no screens to hide score sheets from each other. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when first starting out but as the brain starts to tune in and players get more competitive it helps if you can shield players’ score sheets. Especially if you’re paying with a competitive gang of players!
Buy Quick Words Here – Amazon, The Range
Summary Of Quick Words
Quick Words has great entertainment and educational value. It gets the brain muscle working, and will naturally help boost players’ vocabulary and language skills. Because players only score points when they write down a unique word there’s an element of tactical play, luck of the dice, and player judgment involved. And although having a good vocabulary does help in this game, you also need to be good at letter puzzles and decoding.