How do you play First Letters Quiz?
A card shows the first letter of each word plus one blank for every other letter, and you type the word that fits the topic. If the topic is Food and the card reads A _ _ _ _ P _ _, the answer is APPLE PIE. As soon as all the slots are filled with a correct word it counts, so you never have to press Enter for a right answer.
If several words in the same topic share the same pattern, all of them are accepted: in Things, C _ _ _ _ fits both CHAIR and CLOCK, and either one is correct. Common alternative spellings such as DONUT and DOUGHNUT, YOGURT and YOGHURT, or PANTS and TROUSERS are registered as aliases and count too. When the slots are full but the word is wrong, press Enter and the card shakes, showing "Right letters, wrong word" or "Nope", then erase and try again.
What are the four modes?
There are two solo modes, a 90 second rush and a 10 question topic round, a two player hot seat mode on one device, and a Daily 10 that gives everyone the same cards on the same date. Choose a topic on the title screen, then press a mode button to start.
| Mode | How it runs | Ends when |
|---|---|---|
| 90 second rush | Next card after every answer, free skips | Time runs out; the current answer is shown |
| 10 questions | Ten cards from the chosen topic, retry after a wrong word | All ten cards are done |
| Two players | P1 and P2 take turns going first on the same card; fail within 12 seconds and the other player can steal | After 10 rounds, most answers wins |
| Daily 10 | Ten cards fixed by the date, topics mixed | All ten cards are done, then share the result |
In two player mode the first player alternates every round: P1 goes first in round 1, P2 in round 2. When the first player skips or the 12 seconds run out, the very same card passes to the other player, and if they fail too the answer is revealed and the next round begins. Hints are disabled in two player mode.
How are points and combos counted?
Each solved word is worth 100 points minus 25 per hint and 10 per wrong submission (never below 30), plus 10 points per combo step from the second answer in a row. The combo bonus caps at 100, so from an 11 combo onward a single word can be worth 200 points.
- Combo: goes up by one for every answer in a row and breaks on a skip or a time out. A wrong submission only costs 10 points and keeps the combo alive.
- Flame: from a 2 combo a flame rises under the score and grows with every step.
- Ranks: the result screen names you Letter beginner, Word collector, Initials detective, Word hunter or Letter wizard depending on your hit rate. In the rush, 14 or more answers earn the wizard rank.
- Best scores: the best rush score and the best 10 question score are saved separately in this browser and shown on the title screen.
When should you use a hint or a skip?
A hint reveals one of the still hidden letters in color on the card and costs 25 points. The last hidden letter is never revealed, so a word with only one blank left cannot take another hint.
Revealed letters at the start of the word are typed into the slots for you. Skipping costs no points but resets the combo to zero, flips the card over in gray to show the answer, and moves on. In the rush it pays to skip a word that will not come to mind rather than watch the clock run.
What keyboard does each language use?
The English version shows a QWERTY keyboard on screen and also takes A to Z from a real keyboard. Korean uses the standard two set Hangul layout with automatic syllable assembly, and Japanese uses a hiragana chart plus romaji typing.
| Language | On the card | On screen keys | Real keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | First letter of each word and the length (A _ _ _ _ P _ _) | QWERTY, 26 keys | A to Z |
| Korean | Initial consonants only (ㄱㅊㅉㄱ) | Two set layout with Shift | Same positions, even without a Korean IME |
| Japanese | First kana and the length (り○○) | Gojuon chart with ゛゜ and small kana | Romaji (kya to きゃ, nn to ん, double consonant to っ) |
Backspace erases one letter. Words with two parts such as ICE CREAM are typed without the space: the card shows the gap, and the slots simply run on.
What topics and how many words?
Food, animals, countries and cities, jobs, sports, things, nature, and body and clothes: eight topics with more than 50 words each, over 430 words in the English version alone. No brand names and no real people, and nothing shorter than three letters.
| Topic | Examples | On the card |
|---|---|---|
| Food | CROISSANT, PANCAKE, ICE CREAM | C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, P _ _ _ _ _ _, I _ _ C _ _ _ _ |
| Animals | HEDGEHOG, FLAMINGO, OCTOPUS | H _ _ _ _ _ _ _, F _ _ _ _ _ _ _, O _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| Countries and cities | PORTUGAL, NEW ZEALAND, BANGKOK | P _ _ _ _ _ _ _, N _ _ Z _ _ _ _ _ _, B _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| Jobs | FIREFIGHTER, BARISTA, MAIL CARRIER | F _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, B _ _ _ _ _ _, M _ _ _ C _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| Sports | BADMINTON, TAEKWONDO, JUMP ROPE | B _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, T _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, J _ _ _ R _ _ _ |
| Things | MICROWAVE, CHOPSTICKS, HAIR DRYER | M _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, C _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, H _ _ _ D _ _ _ _ |
| Nature | RAINBOW, SUNFLOWER, GLACIER | R _ _ _ _ _ _, S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, G _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| Body and clothes | ELBOW, NECKLACE, PAJAMAS | E _ _ _ _, N _ _ _ _ _ _ _, P _ _ _ _ _ _ |
Choosing All mixes the eight topics. Every card carries the topic name and the letter count, and a word never repeats within one game.
What is the Daily 10?
Press Daily 10 on the title screen and you get ten cards fixed by the date, mixed from all eight topics, the same cards in the same order for everyone on that day. When you finish, Share result sends your score and hit count so friends can try the identical set.
A new set arrives at midnight Korean time. Daily scores do not touch the best score records; only the day's result is shown on the title screen.
Tips for a higher score
- Count the blanks first. Length and topic alone usually leave two or three candidates.
- Think in endings. Jobs tend to end in ER or IST, sports in ING, and countries in A or LAND, which fixes the length quickly.
- Two part words show a gap. A space in the pattern means a phrase like ICE CREAM or HIGH JUMP; type it without the space.
- Protect the combo with hints, not skips. A hint costs 25 points; a skip throws away the whole combo bonus.
- In the rush, let go after 30 seconds. Time spent staring at one card is cards you never see.
Controls
- Phone and mouse: tap the on screen keys to type. ⌫ erases one letter, Enter checks the word, and Hint and Skip sit on the bottom row of the keyboard.
- Keyboard: type A to Z and press Enter to check. Tab is a hint, Esc is a skip, Backspace erases. On the result screen Enter plays again.
- Top right buttons: the speaker toggles sound effects and the house returns to the title screen.
Best scores, the sound setting and the last topic are stored only in this browser and never sent to a server. The cards, keys, flames and sounds are all drawn and synthesized in code, so nothing is downloaded.