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pompomsheep

733 karma · joined January 29, 2025

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pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Thanks everyone for the feedback! Two questions

1. For a version without the timer what would you like to happen if you are just completely stuck on a word? Hints to reveal letters or skip the word?

2. For those who like the timed version would you prefer to continue when you miss a word and then get a final score out of 18?

pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Interesting idea but too many people mistype / mispell on first attempt (mostly me)
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Ok yes all good examples. Have reverted back ot the large dictionary for now which accepts all these
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
It should have shown you!
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Yeah its just the single index.html file feel free to download it and adapt
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Haha yeah the 300k list contains so really obscure stuff
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Did you find a word that wasn't accepted you thought should be?

I do have another version where it accepts ANY word but I found it quite unsatisfying when I survived by randomly spamming combinations and finding a really obscure word.

So am currently running it against a 20,000 word wordlist instead of my larger 300,000 wordlist

pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Yeah for sure I agree just kept it simple for now but will improve if people like it
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Thanks! I thought it was fun to throw people straight into the game without instructions but you think it too unclear?
pompomsheep··on Show HN: 18 Words
Oof yeah thanks! Fixed now
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Hmm I'm also macOS webkit and can drag no problem. Are you using Safari?

It is also possible to tap each individual letter like you described as an alternative control method but I've found dragging to be more intuitive so is the standard control.

On desktop you can also type the letters with your keyboard ;)

pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
I've added a global average time for now to each puzzle if that's nice?

I will look into potentially adding percentiles in the next few days once I see how big the ranges are!

pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Thanks for the feedback. Do you think finding plural should automatically find the root word as well?
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
I have it semi automated but I've found they need to be manually reviewed to make fun puzzles.

Basically I start with an 8, 9 or 10 letter word as the core of the puzzle. I then have a generator add random letters and paths around this until it makes a grid with a good number of valid words.

I then run the words though GPT 5.5 which scores them on how "common" the word is to the average person. This is very subjective as everyone has very different vocabularies.

I then manually decide which words to include as core required words or bonus words.

Finally the puzzle is tested by my wife and mum to see if it is "fun" or it goes in the bin haha.

pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Which colors specifically if you dont mind me asking?
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Fixed this thanks!
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
This was helpful feedback thank you. I've tried to make this more clear with a new tutorial and updataed instructions
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Haha just a common bird family. Get your head out of the gutter!
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Wow, this post blew up! Thank you everyone for all the helpful feedback. I’ve just deployed a few updates:

  - Added a short playable tutorial for new players to learn how the game works.

  - Added a timer below the grid. You can hide this in the settings if you don’t want the extra pressure!

  - Fixed some bonus words based on your recommendations.

I also made a bonus HN themed puzzle as a thanks for all the feedback - https://zanagrams.com/hackernews
pompomsheep··on Show HN: Zanagrams
Thanks. I use a combination of AI to first score the words by obscurity and then manually decide which ones to include based on this score and my own judgement.

I then manually test each of the puzzles and throw out any that I feel weren't "fun" to solve for whatever reason

pompomsheep··on Why Some Men Struggle to Keep Up with Friendships
https://archive.is/2026.03.21-132826/https://www.theatlantic...
pompomsheep··on Ask HN: My web game went viral – am I in trouble?
Thanks that HN link is helpful
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