How to play Hop & Drop, the falling letters word game

The puzzle behind Hop & Drop: Falling letters word game

Falling letters word games join two old ideas. From arcade puzzle games comes a pile that keeps growing, which you must clear before it reaches the top. From tile scoring word games comes a value on every letter, so a rare letter like Z is worth far more than a common one like E. You spell words to clear letters, and gravity brings fresh ones within reach.

Also known as letter drop game, word stacking game.

Hop & Drop is an original game from Daily New Game. Rows rise from the floor instead of falling from above, a long word holds the next row back, and letters that just dropped make your next word score double. Carrot letters bring bonus points, the rows rise in the same order for every player, and the star targets come from Clover's own runs, so three stars are always possible.

How to play Hop & Drop

Letters rise in Clover's burrow. Spell words to clear them before it fills up.

• Spell words of 3 letters or more with letters that touch up, down or sideways.
• Eaten letters vanish and the letters above drop down.
• After a short word a new row rises from the floor (on easy burrows, after every second short word). A long word holds it back. Every burrow shows how many letters count as long.
• Letters that just dropped score double in your next word. That is a cascade.
• Carrot letters give 10 bonus points. Some burrows ask you to dig up carrots instead of points.
• Reach the target for one star, the higher targets for two and three. A level ends at three stars, when a column reaches the top, or when you finish. The daily keeps going after three stars, so you can chase Clover's score.
• A hint or two caps the run at two stars, and lots of hints at one.
• In relaxed mode a full burrow waits for you: undo a move to keep going, or end the run.

What you can never do

• Step diagonally from letter to letter.
• Let a column reach the top of the burrow.

Controls with Clover the rabbit

• Drag across touching letters and let go to eat the word, or tap letters one by one and tap the last one again.
• With a keyboard, use the arrow keys to move, Space to pick a letter, Enter to eat the word and Backspace to take a letter back.
• Add row brings up fresh letters when you are stuck. Undo takes back your last move.

Strategies for beginners

Read the goal first

Most burrows ask for points, but some ask you to dig up carrots, spell long words or simply spell a number of words. The line above the burrow says which, and the line under it says how many letters count as long and how often a row rises.

Go long to keep the burrow low

A word at the long length, shown on every burrow, stops the next row from rising. That is 5 letters on Easy and Medium burrows, 6 on Hard and Expert and 7 on Master. One long word can buy you the breathing room of several short ones.

Let length multiply your points

A word scores its letter values added up, times the number of letters minus two. So a three letter word scores its values once, a five letter word three times and a seven letter word five times. Adding one more letter is often worth more than a rare letter.

Catch the cascade

When you eat letters, the letters above them drop, and any word that uses one of those dropped letters scores double. The bonus lasts for your very next word only, and Add row clears it, so look at the fallen letters before you do anything else.

Watch the tallest columns

The run ends when one column reaches the top, however empty the others are. When the burrow warns that a column is nearly full, spell your next word through that column, even if a better scoring word sits somewhere else.

Save Add row for when you are stuck

Add row brings up fresh letters, but it also raises every column by one. Use it when you truly cannot see a word, not to fish for better letters. In the daily, play carefully: only your first finished run counts.

Quick tips from the game

• Long words keep the burrow low.
• Save a letter that just dropped for a big word: it doubles the whole word.

Words to know

Burrow

The board: 9 rows by 6 columns, filling up from the floor. Each level is one burrow.

Long word

A word long enough to stop the next row from rising. Every burrow shows the length, from 5 to 7 letters.

Cascade

A word that uses a letter which just dropped. The whole word scores double.

Carrot

A letter with a carrot on it. Eating it adds 10 points, and some burrows count carrots instead of points.

Letter value

Points a letter is worth, from 1 for common letters like E up to 10 for Z.

Clover's score

What Clover the rabbit scored on the same burrow. It is always at least the three star target.

Endless

A mode with one long burrow and no target. You play until it fills up and try to beat your top 10.

Questions about Hop & Drop