How it works

Somebody picks a secret word — any word, three to eight letters, real or invented — and the site turns it into a link. That link is the whole puzzle: nothing is stored anywhere, the word travels inside the link itself, scrambled so a curious victim can't just read it. When you open a ransom link, you guess. After each guess the tiles tell you which letters are in the word and in the right spot, which are in the word but misplaced, and which aren't in it at all. You get however many guesses the builder allowed you, which may be fewer than you deserve.

Builders can rig one word or a set of three, each with its own guess allowance. A timer runs while you solve — results share with your time, so speed is bragging rights. Your record against each person who sends you puzzles is kept on this device, and every puzzle you build is saved to your list. Words go through a decency filter before a link is created; beyond that, difficulty is entirely between you and whoever claims to be your friend.

About

Word Ransom is a free word-hostage service. No accounts, no app, no stored puzzles — just links, grudges, and rematches. Built by one person. If somebody got you good, get them back.