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Vocabulary Game · CEFR Pre-A1 to B1

Word Detective

Crack the case in Word Detective, a free online word-guessing game. Read the clue and guess the hidden English word one letter at a time — but six wrong guesses and the case is closed. Clues use CEFR-levelled vocabulary (Pre-A1 to B1) for beginner and elementary learners.

Choose your level to start playing

🕵️ Word Detective

1Read the clue
2Type one letter at a time
3You have 6 tries
💡 Tip: Try it in your language first, then in English.

Word Detective

0 pts
Word 1 of 10

How to Play Word Detective

Word Detective is a free online word-guessing game in the spirit of hangman. You’re given a clue and a row of blanks — guess the hidden English word letter by letter before your guesses run out. It’s a fun way to practise spelling, vocabulary and a little deduction.

Step by step

  1. Read the clue to get an idea of the hidden word.
  2. Guess a letter. If it’s in the word, it appears in the right place(s).
  3. If it’s not, you use up one of your six chances.
  4. Keep guessing letters to reveal the whole word.
  5. Solve it before six wrong guesses — or the case is closed!

Tips to crack the case

  • Start with common vowels (e, a) and frequent consonants (r, s, t, n).
  • Once you have a few letters, read the clue again — the meaning narrows it down fast.
  • Think about likely endings to fill the last blanks.

Who it’s for

Clues use CEFR-levelled vocabulary (Pre-A1 to B1), so Word Detective suits beginner and elementary ESL learners and works as a whole-class guessing game too.

More vocabulary games: Games Hub · Crossword · Word Search