LinguaBoard

LinguaBoard is a three-by-three grid where each cell expects a language that satisfies both the criterion for its row and that for its column. The criteria are not linguistic in the strict sense: they mix demography, geography and culture, from number of speakers to the presence of a reigning monarchy, to countries where wild tigers still live. Nine attempts to fill the nine cells, and a scoring scale that rewards rare answers.

1. Check the selected difficulty level: a LEVEL selector, shown as EASY by default, offers a CHANGE button.
2. Click an empty cell. A window reminds you of the two criteria the cell must meet and opens a search field.
3. Choose a language from the list, which displays for each its name, its name in native script, a flag and its rarity tag (common, uncommon, rare).
4. Confirm and repeat on another cell, keeping in mind that the pool of attempts is shared across the entire grid.
5. If needed, use one of the three hints, which reveal the first letter of a possible answer.

Because it's a general-knowledge game disguised as a grid. The criteria cross pieces of knowledge one doesn't spontaneously associate (a political regime, a culinary culture, a fauna), and the list of languages that opens for each cell is an object in itself, with native names in original script. The rarity-based scoring turns even a completed grid into a challenge: filling it is not enough, you must fill it with panache.

The timer starts on the first click on a cell, and the game announces it ("Clock started"). A wrong answer consumes an attempt and replies "not quite, try again!", but the cell remains open: multiple languages can validate it. Score is based on the rarity of the placed language, and the final share uses the same emoji coding: green for a common answer, yellow for an uncommon one, purple for a rare, red for an error, white for a left-empty cell. A streak counter in days is displayed next to the score.

Daily Puzzle

A numbered, dated daily grid, accompanied by a quote about languages and a linguistic anecdote.

Unlimited

An ∞ Unlimited button is offered in the top bar, next to sharing and reminders.

Past Puzzles

A 📅 Past Puzzles button gives access to previous grids.

• Rarity is the real scoring mechanic: given the same cell, a language tagged rare scores more than the obvious answer, and makes the shared result look better. The difficulty is finding an obscure language that nevertheless satisfies both criteria.
• A mistake does not doom the cell, only one of the nine attempts: since several languages validate the same cell, trying again with another proposal remains a viable strategy.
• The search window displays the two criteria one above the other: re-reading the column's criterion before confirming avoids answers that only satisfy the row.
• The three hints only give the first letter of a possible answer: they reveal without offering the full answer, and are usefully saved for the most constrained cell.