Shabd Khoj

Shabd Khoj — how to play and tips

Shabd Khoj means “word search” in Hindi, and it is a puzzle game for people who love their mother tongue. Instead of English letters, the grid is filled with Hindi or Gujarati letters. Your task is to find the hidden words by dragging your finger across the squares. Because every word has an English hint, you do not need to be fluent to enjoy the game; it is also a gentle way to practise reading a script you are learning.

How to play

• Choose your language with the language button. The game starts in Hindi. Tap the button to switch to Gujarati or back again.

• Look at the word list at the top. Every word is written in the native script, and a small English word beneath it tells you the meaning, such as lotus, river or kite.

• Touch the first square of a word and drag in a straight line to the last square. Lines can go across, down or diagonally. In later puzzles, words can also run backwards.

• When you release your finger on a correct word, it turns green and is crossed off the list.

• If you are stuck, press the Hint button. It circles the first letter of a word you have not found yet, for a small cost of five points.

How letters work in this game

Hindi and Gujarati are written with letters that combine with vowel signs. For example, the sound “di” is written by adding a vowel sign to the consonant, giving one visual unit. In this game, every such unit sits in one square, so a word like nadi (river) uses two squares, not four. This is the natural way to read these scripts and it also keeps the grid easy to see on a phone. All the words have been written out by hand, one unit at a time, so the letters in the grid always match the words in the list.

Scoring

You score ten points for every word you find. When you complete a puzzle you get a time bonus: 30 points for finishing in under a minute, 15 for under two minutes and 5 for taking longer. Each puzzle picks six words at random from a list of sixteen, so the puzzles are different each time you play, and the game keeps a best score on your device. Using a hint costs five points, so use it only when you need it.

Word themes

The words are everyday ones: nature (lotus, river, cloud, moon, sun, star), animals (cow, lion, peacock), food and home (mango, water, tea, home), and festival words such as kite, lamp and fair. These are the words children learn first and the ones we hear every day, so they make the game warm and familiar. If you notice a spelling that you would write differently in your region, please tell us through the contact page.

Tips

• Search for the less common letters first, since they have fewer places to hide.

• Run your eyes along the edges and diagonals, where words like to hide.

• Say the word to yourself while you look. Hearing the sounds helps your eyes find the letters.

Shabd Khoj is free, works on phones and computers and needs no download. It is a small celebration of two beautiful languages, and a nice game to play with grandparents or children.