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Word puzzles are one of the most popular online games played daily by young and old alike. The number of people who play word puzzles daily ranges from millions to tens of millions or more, depending on the popularity of word puzzles, season and the variety of platforms and formats they are available in. It is proven that during summer less people engage with word games. During the winter when it’s cold outside and more and more people prefer to stay indoors, the situation changes to the opposite. Interest in word puzzles often doubles during this season, providing a perfect opportunity to explore and discover new favorite word puzzle games. What are your favorite word puzzles to play during the winter season, and what makes them so appealing in colder weather?
For us, the best word puzzle game is definitely Smartle, because of its unique blend of innovative gameplay, captivating leaderboards, and a thriving community of puzzle enthusiasts. We were also exploring what is out there to create our own list of the best word puzzles. Stay tuned and read our next blog post to see the top 5 word games. In the meantime, we would like to share with you a couple fun facts that we have found.
It is interesting to know that the world's largest crossword puzzle, according to the Guinness World Records, was created in the UK in 2012. This giant crossword covered an area of 3,556.57 square meters (38,227.84 square feet) and contained a staggering 39,411 clues across and 39,440 clues down. It was completed by thousands of people over a few weeks. Definitely not your ordinary daily word puzzle.
While Scrabble typically limits the length of words that can be played, there is a famous exception. The longest word ever played in an official Scrabble game was "OXYPHENBUTAZONE". It's a 15-letter word and, if you're curious, it's an anti-inflammatory medication. This word was played by Dr. Karl Khoshnaw in 1984 and scored an impressive 1778 points in a single move.
During the early days of crossword puzzle popularity, crossword fever took hold in the 1920s. Some people became so obsessed with crossword puzzles that they were seen as a social problem. Libraries banned the best crossword puzzles, and some experts warned that too much puzzling could lead to mental health issues. However, this didn't deter enthusiasts from enjoying their word puzzles.
One of the longest palindromes in the English language is "tattarrattat". This word was coined by James Joyce in his novel "Ulysses". It's a playful representation of a knock on the door, making it a true linguistic oddity.
Would you like to see the oldest word puzzle with your own eyes? Then you need to go to Italy. The world's oldest known word puzzle is the Sator Square, which dates back to ancient Rome. It's a word square that can be read top to bottom, bottom to top, left to right, and right to left, with the words forming a palindromic phrase. The Sator Square has fascinated puzzle enthusiasts for centuries.