Letterbox

Letterbox fits into a three-by-three grid with a reserve of letters placed underneath. The principle announced on the welcome screen: drop letters into the grid and form words in all directions: rows, columns and even diagonals. The board offers twelve letters for nine squares. At the top, only two indicators: a timer and a score that starts at zero, separated by the title and the label "Today." The game tracks the height reached by each column, the chosen letter being placed into a column rather than into a free square at random.

1. Press 'Start Game': the board opens, timer and score shown at the top.
2. Choose a letter from the "Available Letters" reserve beneath the board.
3. Drop it into a column of the three-by-three grid; each column fills to its own height.
4. Continue while watching all three axes at once: rows, columns and diagonals all count.

Because a nine-square grid in which everything counts in three directions turns every letter into a decision. There's no hidden word to unearth: there is a fixed reserve, a tiny board and a running timer, and it's placement, not vocabulary, that makes the score.

The interface is deliberately sparse in signals: a running timer, a score, and two 'i' badges (one next to the score, one next to the letter reserve) to access the explanation. No attempt counter, no list of words to find is shown: the grid and the reserve are all the context you have. The welcome screen promises bonus points tied to the timer, but the scoring breakdown does not appear on the board.

Today

The day's grid, the only part offered from the welcome screen, announced as refreshed each day.

Squads

The welcome screen invites you to sign in to join a squad and compete against other players.

• The central square belongs to a row, a column, and both diagonals: it's the most rewarding and most limiting position on the board.
• Letters are placed by column and not into a free square of your choice: the order in which you drop them determines what space will remain in each column afterwards.