Phantom Word Game

About Phantom Word Game

PHANTOM is a fun new interactive word game that will test and improve your vocabulary and strategic ability. It's great brain training!

To play the game, one player chooses a letter to START the word. Players then take it in turns to add a letter until a valid English word of four or more letters is formed.

Whoever completes the word is the LOSER.

Rules and Strategy

A letter can be added at either the BEGINNING or END of the string of letters.

Each added letter MUST allow the string of letters to continue to form a valid word, or must itself complete a word (Phantom knows all English words and will check each letter played).

If a new initial letter is added (click INITIAL to do this) that letter must be capable of BEGINNING a word. Also, a new initial letter can only be added if less than FOUR letters have already been played.

If you add a letter that does not allow a valid word to be formed, you LOSE the game.

Therefore, to WIN the game, you have to AVOID COMPLETING A WORD while at the same time trying to force Phantom to do so.

If you get stuck, or want some help choosing a letter, click the ? button for a hint. This, however, reduces your score (see Scoring).

If you realize you will lose the game, you can FOLD at any time.

Phantom is programmed to occasionally bluff (i.e., to choose a random letter that may or may not allow a valid word to be formed). If you suspect a bluff and believe that a word cannot be made from the letters already played, you can CHALLENGE.

If your challenge is correct, you WIN the game. If incorrect, Phantom will display its intended word and you will LOSE the game.

Acceptable Words

The rules of word formation are the same as those used in Scrabble*.

As in Scrabble, plurals and other word inflexions (such as tenses) are allowed.

The following types of words are NOT allowed.

• Hyphenated words (e.g., "u-turn").
  
  
• Capitalized words (e.g., proper nouns). For example, "Alice", "America", and "Arab" are not allowed.
  
  
• Acronyms and abbreviations (e.g., "UNESCO", "tbsp", unless these are recognized as regular words, such as "RADAR").

Scoring

You will be shown the running total of your wins and losses.

The winner also scores one point for each letter in the opponent's losing word.

Scores are also adjusted as follows:

• Each time you ask for a HINT (by clicking the ? button), your total score is reduced by 2 points.
  
  
• If you CHALLENGE unsuccessfully, Phantom scores for the whole displayed word (not just the letters already played).
  
  
• If you CHALLENGE successfully, your score is based on the letters already played, plus a bonus 2 points.
  
  
• If you FOLD, Phantom's score is based on the letters already played. If you are certain that you will lose the game, it is always sensible to fold rather than play on.

Levels

You can choose between two levels of game play:

• Freshman is recommended until you have some experience playing the game. At this level, Phantom's strategic ability is limited, although its vocabulary is unaffected. As a Freshman, you should be able to win many games.
  
  
• Professor pits your ability against Phantom's best strategic efforts. You will find this level highly challenging and will most likely lose more games than you win. If you can win more than a third of games at this level, you are doing VERY WELL.
  
  

Have fun playing PHANTOM WORD GAME!

Acknowledgements

Phantom Word Game is created by Michael Daniels, based on the classic game Ghost. All rights to Phantom Word Game are reserved by Michael Daniels and psychicscience.org.

The Phantom dictionary is based on the official SOWPODS list of more than 260,000 words recognized in Scrabble tournaments.

* The name Scrabble is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc. in the United States and Canada, and of Mattel elsewhere.