About GlyphDuel
GlyphDuel is a real-time multiplayer word game, freely inspired by Wordle. From 2 to 4 players simultaneously try to guess the same secret word — each on their own grid, visible to others as colored tiles only. The first player to reach 10 points wins the match. The game is completely free, no sign-up required, no download needed — it runs directly in your browser, on mobile and desktop alike.
How to play — complete rules
At the start of each round, the server picks a random secret word from a dictionary of thousands of words in the chosen language (French, English, Spanish or German). All players in the room try to find that same word by submitting guesses one by one. Each guess must be a valid dictionary word — made-up words are rejected.
After each attempt, the tiles change color to show how close your guess was:
- 🟩 Green: the letter is correct and in the right position.
- 🟨 Yellow: the letter is in the word but in the wrong position.
- ⬛ Grey: the letter is not in the word (or has already been accounted for).
Each player has a maximum of 6 attempts per round to find the word. If nobody finds it within 6 guesses, the round ends with no points awarded and the secret word is revealed.
Scoring system
Scoring is progressive: the faster you find the word, the more points you earn. In multiplayer, only the first player to find the word scores — others get nothing even if they find it afterwards.
| Attempt | Points earned |
|---|---|
| 1st attempt | 6 points |
| 2nd attempt | 5 points |
| 3rd attempt | 4 points |
| 4th attempt | 3 points |
| 5th attempt | 2 points |
| 6th attempt | 1 point |
| Not found | 0 points |
The match ends as soon as a player reaches 10 points. An optional per-round timer can be enabled (60, 90 or 120 seconds) when creating a room, adding pressure and forcing quick decisions.
Game modes
Private room multiplayer
Create a room, choose word length (4, 5 or 6 letters), language and optional timer,
then share the 5-character code with your friends. Up to 4 players can join the same room.
You can also join directly via a URL like glyphduel.fr/?room=ABCDE — handy for sharing in messages or on social media.
Public lobby
No friends available? The home screen shows all open public rooms in real time. Join any waiting game with one click. You can also watch an ongoing match in spectator mode without participating.
Solo mode — free practice
In solo mode, you play alone against the dictionary. No pressure, no timer — perfect for practicing, exploring vocabulary or simply enjoying the game at a relaxed pace. Your statistics (wins, streaks, guess distribution) are saved locally in your browser.
Daily Word
Every day, a special word is selected deterministically — the same for all players, regardless of what time they connect. One attempt per day: aim for your best score and share your grid on social media. Daily Word statistics are tracked separately from free mode stats.
Challenge an AI Bot
You can face an artificial opponent in solo mode with three difficulty levels:
- Nano (easy) — thinks slowly, ideal for beginners.
- Nexo (medium) — a good balance of challenge and accessibility.
- Aria (hard) — strict filtering algorithm, formidable on short words.
The bot uses a lexical filtering algorithm: each round, it eliminates all candidates incompatible with clues already revealed. Its only weakness: simulated "thinking" delays that give you a window to win.
Languages and dictionaries
GlyphDuel offers four game languages, each with its own dictionary and keyboard layout:
- French (FR) — AZERTY keyboard, ~5,500 words of 4, 5 and 6 letters, manually cleaned and filtered.
- English (EN) — QWERTY keyboard, ~6,565 words from frequency lists and the Wordle corpus.
- Spanish (ES) — QWERTY keyboard, ~6,500 words; accented characters (á, é, ñ…) are normalized.
- German (DE) — QWERTZ keyboard, ~6,500 words; ß is converted to ss for word-length purposes.
All words are normalized to lowercase without accents for internal game logic, ensuring a fair experience regardless of input method (physical or virtual keyboard). A room's language is set at creation and cannot be changed mid-game.
Tips to play better
Words containing A, E, I, O, U quickly identify which vowels are in the secret word. In English, words like AUDIO, RAISE or CANOE cover a large range of common letters in one guess.
A yellow letter (🟨) is in the word, but not at that position. Don't put it in the same spot — try it in other positions. Combining several yellows into a single word speeds up solving considerably.
Points go to the first player who finds the word. It's better to submit a valid word quickly than to search for perfection. If you're torn between two equally plausible words, pick the one that eliminates more uncertain letters.
In multiplayer you can see your opponents' tile colors (not their letters). If their grid turns very green quickly, they're close — speed up your pace!
When time is running out (less than 10 seconds), it's better to submit any valid word than let the timer expire. 1 point on the 6th attempt beats 0 points every time.
For more detailed strategy, read our complete GlyphDuel strategy guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is GlyphDuel really free?
- Yes, completely. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no account required. The game is funded by non-intrusive advertising (Google AdSense) and voluntary donations via Ko-fi.
- Is my personal data collected?
- GlyphDuel doesn't require an account and stores no personal data on its servers.
Your in-game nickname is temporary and disappears when the room closes.
Game statistics (solo, daily) are stored only in your browser via
localStorage. Anonymous analytics (Umami, cookie-free) and Google AdSense are active. Contact us via the Contact page for any questions. - Can I play on mobile?
- Yes. GlyphDuel is optimized for mobile and tablet screens. A built-in virtual keyboard is included (AZERTY, QWERTY or QWERTZ depending on language). You can also install it as an app on your phone via PWA (Progressive Web App) — no app store required.
- How many players can join a room?
- From 2 to 4 human players per room. In solo mode, you can play against an AI bot. It's not possible to mix human players and bots in a multiplayer room.
- What happens if I disconnect mid-game?
- GlyphDuel handles automatic reconnection. You have 30 seconds to rejoin the game without losing your place or score. After that window, you are removed from the room. In solo mode, your session is saved for 24 hours — you resume exactly where you left off.
- How do I report a missing or inappropriate word?
- The dictionaries were manually filtered, but imperfections may remain. Please contact us via the Contact page to report any problematic word. We update the dictionaries regularly.
- Is the Daily Word the same for everyone?
- Yes. The word is determined server-side by an algorithm that produces the same result for all connections on a given day (midnight UTC), regardless of when you play. Only one Daily Word attempt is allowed per day across all languages.
- Does GlyphDuel work offline?
- The app shell displays from cache even without a network (PWA). However, the game itself requires an active connection: words are provided by the server and multiplayer relies on real-time websockets.
The project
GlyphDuel was born from the desire to play Wordle with friends, in real time, without proprietary apps or third-party accounts. The game is developed and maintained independently, outside any commercial structure.
The French, English, Spanish and German dictionaries were built from public lexical frequency corpora, then manually filtered and enriched to remove rare, offensive or overly technical terms. The goal is that every word can be guessed by an educated player without a dictionary.
Support the project
GlyphDuel is free and will remain so. If you enjoy it and want to contribute to its development, you can support the project via Ko-fi. Every contribution, even symbolic, helps cover hosting costs and motivates new features.
Questions, suggestions or a bug to report? Reach us via the Contact page.
Want to sharpen your strategy? Read our complete GlyphDuel strategy guide.