How to Play Suit Spell
The rules of Suit Spell in two minutes: seven cards, one word, poker-hand scoring, three plays a day.
The deal
Every day Suit Spell deals seven playing cards from a standard 52-card deck. Each card has its normal rank and suit, plus one letter. Everyone in the world gets the same seven cards that day, so your score is comparable with anyone else's.
The deal flips at midnight, New York time. Yesterday's deal moves to the Archive and a fresh one lands on the Today tab.
Spelling a word
Tap cards in order to spell a word of three or more letters. Each card can be used once. Tap a card again, or tap it on the rail, to take it back. The readout under the rail shows the word, whether it is valid, the poker hand your chosen cards currently make, and the score you would get.
A word is valid if it is in the game's dictionary, a public-domain list of about 51,000 common English words with offensive words removed. No proper nouns, no abbreviations.
Scoring
Your score is the length of the word times the multiplier of the poker hand made by exactly the cards you used. High card is ×1, a pair is ×2, two pair ×3, three of a kind ×4, straight ×5, flush ×6, full house ×7, four of a kind ×8, and a straight flush ×10.
That creates the whole tension of the game. A four-letter word can never make a straight or a flush, because those need five cards. A seven-letter word uses everything, so its hand is whatever the deal gives you. Often the best play is a six-letter word that drops the one card spoiling the hand.
Three plays, no timer
You get three plays per deal and your best one counts. There is no clock; take all day if you like. After your third play, or when you tap Done, the day locks and you see your best play laid out as cards, the day's maximum score, and a share button.
Two free hints are available once each per deal: Vowels tells you how many vowels the best word has, and Max score tells you the top score possible. Each takes a point or three off your plays that day, so they are a trade, not a freebie.
Streaks
Playing today's deal on the day keeps your streak going. Deals you play later from the Archive count in your stats but not your streak. Pro's Streak Shield forgives one missed day each month.
FAQ
Can I use a card twice in one word?
No. Each of the seven cards is used at most once per play. A word with a double letter needs two cards carrying that letter.
Does spelling order affect the hand?
No. The hand is judged on the set of cards you used, not their order. Order only matters for spelling the word.
What happens if I run out of plays without a valid word?
You cannot play an invalid word, so your plays are only spent on real words. If you tap Done without playing, the day locks with no score.
Today's deal is on the table.
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