This article contains everything you need to know about The Boston Globe Align.
Use the list below to navigate specific topics about The Boston Globe Align.
How to play
Align is a fun letter-sorting puzzle game that has you swap letters to make words.
Every day, you can solve a brand new puzzle that features several different words. By swapping letters around, you can find the solution.
But it's not just a single letter! You must swap letters between horizontal and vertical letters until you have a correct match for all of them.
If you're unsure about one of the words, click on "Hint". This will reveal one of the unsolved words you've yet to match.
In the game, you'll find the clock on the top left, noting how much time you've taken to solve the puzzle so far, as well as the number of moves you've made.
Watch for words both horizontally and vertically. Once you've figured out a word, the game will show it completed.
Once all the words, vertically and horizontally, are in place, you'll finish the puzzle and receive a ranking.
Your ranking will be based on how long you've taken, how many swaps you've made and how many hints you've seen.
The game's main menu allows you to pick between today's puzzle, the archive of all puzzles released so far and the tutorial, to learn how to play. You can also click on the top right icon to mute the sound.
In the game archive, you can pick between all the different dates of the puzzles released so far. Completed puzzles will be checked in green.
Tips
Here are some tips on how to play your daily ALIGN puzzle:
Start with the easiest row or column. Look for one that’s already close to forming a real word.
Use common letter pairs. Combinations like TH, ER, CH, ST, and ING often reveal possible words.
Check crossings often. Every row also affects a column, so make sure new letters help both directions.
Build around uncommon letters. Letters like Q, Z, J, or X have fewer word options and can narrow possibilities.
Look for common endings. Patterns like –ER, –ED, –LY, and –AL frequently appear in 5-letter words.
Avoid random swaps. Try to move letters with a specific word in mind rather than guessing.
Scoring
The Align daily puzzle is not compatible with the Arkadium leaderboards, as it does not post a number score. Due to this, it does not have a scoring element.