Play the Wend Game Free Online
A daily word-path puzzle in six sizes, plus unlimited boards and a full archive. No login, no app — just play.
Today's 5×5 Wend
Daily puzzle for 2026-07-09 (UTC). Trace each hidden word to clear the grid.
Want a bigger challenge? Jump to 7×7, 10×10, or unlimited puzzles.
Every size, every day
Six fresh boards go live each day. Pick your size:
Play the full puzzle library
Beyond the daily boards, there are 1,800 numbered puzzles to play on demand — 300 on each of the six grid sizes. Pick a size, pick a number, and start tracing.
What is the Wend game?
Wend is a word-path puzzle that turns a grid of letters into a tangle of hidden words. Some cells are blocked off as gray walls; every other cell holds a single letter. Each hidden word is written along a path that steps from one cell to a neighboring cell — up, down, left, or right — winding around the walls and never crossing itself. Solve the puzzle by retracing all of those paths until every open tile has been claimed by exactly one word.
The original Wend is a daily puzzle published by LinkedIn, created by world puzzle champion Thomas Snyder and launched on June 9, 2026. It quickly found an audience that wanted more than one board a day. The Wend Game is an independent, free tribute for exactly those players: the same satisfying trace-the-path gameplay, available whenever you want it.
How our version is different
We built this site to remove every barrier between you and the next puzzle. There is no sign-in, no paywall, and nothing to download. Here is what you get:
- Six daily sizes. A new 5×5, 6×6, 7×7, 8×8, 9×9, and 10×10 puzzle every day, from a quick coffee-break solve to a proper brain-bender.
- Unlimited mode. Generate a brand-new random board on demand and play as many as you like. Every board has a seed you can share so a friend gets the exact same puzzle.
- A growing archive. Missed a day? Replay any previous date's full set of six puzzles.
- Progress that stays put. Your solves, streak, and best times are saved right in your browser.
How to play in four steps
- Find a starting tile. Corners and cells hemmed in by walls are good anchors — a tile with a single open neighbor must be the end of a word.
- Trace the path. Press and drag across connected tiles, or tap them one by one, following where the letters seem to lead.
- Lock the word. When your trace matches a hidden word — in either direction — it snaps into place with its own color.
- Clear the board. Keep going until every open tile belongs to a word. Stuck? A hint reveals the next letter of one unsolved word.
That's the whole game: simple to learn, deceptively tricky to finish. For a deeper dive and solving strategy, read the how to play guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Wend game?
Wend is a word-path puzzle played on a grid. Some cells are gray walls and the rest hold letters. Every hidden word is spelled along a path that steps between neighboring cells — up, down, left, or right — bending around the walls. Your job is to retrace each hidden path until every open tile is used exactly once.
How do you play the Wend game?
Press and drag across connected tiles to trace a path, or tap tiles one at a time. When your trace matches a hidden word from start to finish (in either direction) it locks in with its own color. Keep tracing words until the whole board is solved. Use a hint if you get stuck; it reveals the next letter of one unsolved word.
Is The Wend Game free to play?
Yes. Every puzzle here is completely free, with no app to install and no account required. Play as many puzzles as you like in your browser on phone, tablet, or desktop — and if you want to appear on the daily leaderboard, you can optionally sign in.
How is this different from LinkedIn's Wend?
LinkedIn publishes one Wend puzzle each day inside its News experience. This is an independent fan site that offers a daily puzzle in six grid sizes, an unlimited mode with a fresh board on demand, and an archive of previous days — all without a login. We are not affiliated with LinkedIn or Microsoft.
How is Wend different from a word search or Wordle?
A word search hides straight-line words in a field of random letters and lets tiles be reused. Wordle is about guessing one secret five-letter word from color feedback. Wend is different: the words bend around walls, every open tile belongs to exactly one word, and solving means partitioning the entire board into connected word paths.
Does my progress save?
Yes. Your progress for each daily puzzle, your solving streak, and your best times are saved locally in your browser, so clearing your browser data will reset them. If you sign in, your streak and stats also sync to your account so they follow you across devices.
What grid sizes can I play?
Every day offers six sizes: 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, 8x8, 9x9, and 10x10. Smaller boards are a quick warm-up; larger boards pack in more words and longer, twistier paths for a tougher solve.