Some nights you want a conversation. Other nights you want something to do while the conversation happens: a five-minute word puzzle, a Scrabble game that lasts all evening, a few rolls of the dice to settle who’s sharpest tonight. On LibertiChat, these games are played right inside the chat against other members, and you can keep talking the whole time. It’s free, with no sign-up and nothing to download: you choose a nickname and play in your browser, on a computer or a phone. Below is how each game works, the rules that trip people up, and how to find an opponent in under a minute.
Word games to play with friends online, right inside the chat
Most word game apps work the same way. You install them, create an account, start a game with someone you’ll never speak to, then wait hours for their next move. Playing inside a chat room turns that around. Your opponent is in the same room, playing live, and you can actually talk to them while the game runs.
Three games are made for one-on-one play:
- Motus: guess a hidden word of 5 to 8 letters in as few tries as possible;
- Scrabble: build words on the board and chase the premium squares;
- Yams: five dice, three rolls per turn, and a scorecard to fill with care.
All three are on the chat’s games page, next to chess, checkers, 8-ball pool and quizzes. For the wider picture, our guide to online games to play with strangers in a chat room covers the full list.
Motus: Wordle-style guessing with the first letter given
If you’ve played Wordle, you already understand most of Motus. It’s a long-running French TV game, a cousin of the show Lingo, and it works on the same idea: guess a hidden word, learn from each attempt, close in. The big difference is that the first letter is shown from the start, which makes your opening move far less of a shot in the dark.
You type a word of the right length. The game then shows which letters are in the right spot, which are in the word but in the wrong spot, and which aren’t in it at all. Each guess narrows the field until only one word fits.
Five to eight letters
You can play words from 5 to 8 letters long. Five letters is quick and punchy, perfect when you want an instant rematch. Eight letters needs a plan: early guesses should test as many new letters as possible, even if they have no hope of being the answer. Speed comes later.
A real dictionary behind every guess
Motus only accepts real words. You can’t type a row of vowels just to see which ones light up. Every guess has to exist in the dictionary, which forces you to think and makes a win feel earned. A good habit: open with a word packed with common vowels and frequent consonants, then build on what you learn.
Scrabble online for free: swapping tiles, passing and resigning
Scrabble here follows the rules everyone grew up with: seven tiles on your rack, words that connect across the board, double and triple squares that make or break a game. Three situations still catch casual players out.
Swapping tiles
Drew four I’s and two U’s? Instead of scraping three points, you can swap some or all of your tiles for fresh ones from the bag. The catch is that you play nothing that turn. Under the official rules, a swap is only allowed while at least seven tiles remain in the bag. It costs you now and often wins you the game later.
Passing your turn
Passing means you neither play a word nor swap. It makes sense when you’re holding a strong rack and waiting for a particular square to open up. Just know that if both players keep passing, the game ends and the scores are counted as they stand.
Resigning without bad feeling
Scrabble games can run long. If you have to leave, resigning is far kinder than vanishing mid-game: your opponent gets the result and can start a new one. A quick “got to go, well played” in the room does the rest.
Yams: reading your scorecard without slipping up
Yams is the name French players give to the dice game most of the world knows as Yahtzee. You get five dice and up to three rolls per turn, keeping whichever dice you like after each roll. Then you write the result in one box on your scorecard. Each box can be used once, so the real skill is choosing where to score.
The top half
The boxes from ones to sixes add up the dice showing that number. Three fives in the fives box score 15. Most versions give a bonus for a high total in this top half, and aiming for three of each number usually gets you there.
The bottom half, combo by combo
- Three of a kind: three matching dice, such as 4-4-4-2-6;
- Four of a kind: four matching dice;
- Full house: three of a kind plus a pair, such as 3-3-3-6-6;
- Small straight: four numbers in a row, such as 2-3-4-5;
- Large straight: five in a row, 1 to 5 or 2 to 6;
- Yams: all five dice the same, the Yahtzee itself and the top prize.
The two classic slips? Writing a large straight in the small straight box in a hurry, and filling the Yams box with a zero on turn two. Before you confirm, read the box name twice. And keep an easy box, like Chance, as a safety net for a bad turn.
Play with your mic on, not in silence
A word game in silence is a puzzle. The same game with voices is a night in with friends. In a room, you ask to speak and then talk on the mic while the game goes on: groaning at an obscure word, protesting a Yams on the first roll, trading some friendly teasing.
Voice also changes the pace. Nobody has to type “your turn” or “you still there?” because you can hear each other thinking. If you’ve never used a voice room, our guide to voice chat rooms and talking to strangers walks through the basics. And if you’d rather type, that works too: nobody is pushed onto the mic.
Finding an opponent right now in a chat room
The worst part of most game apps is waiting for someone to join. In a chat, potential players are already there, talking. A few habits help you get a game going fast:
- Pick a busy room over a quiet one: more people means a faster yes.
- Post a simple offer in the room, such as “Anyone up for a 6-letter Motus?”
- Start short. Motus takes a few minutes, Scrabble far longer. Suggest the long format once you’ve clicked with someone.
- Add the players you enjoy to your friends list so you can find them again another night.
Games are also a great excuse to get to know people. If a room goes quiet, our list of online icebreaker games has more ideas to get it moving again.
Points, duels and leaderboards: word games to play with friends online that count
Winning one game is fun. Watching your wins add up is more fun. Games played against other members earn points, and a leaderboard shows where you stand among the site’s players. Medals mark your progress along the way.
The duel format adds something two-player word games in apps rarely give you: you’re not facing a faceless account but someone you’ll bump into tomorrow in the same room. Friendly rivalries form quickly, and they’re often what brings people back. To keep things pleasant, congratulate the winner, offer a rematch and never take a ranking too seriously.
Good manners apply to the chat as well. If someone gets unpleasant, the Ignore button removes them from your screen, and reports go straight to the moderators.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to play Scrabble or Motus?
No. A nickname is enough to enter the chat and join a game. There’s nothing to install, and everything runs in your browser on a computer or a phone.
Can I play these word games on my phone?
Yes, the chat works in your phone’s browser, iPhone included. On a small screen, Motus and Yams are the most comfortable; Scrabble asks for a little more precision when placing tiles.
Are the games really free?
Yes, just like the rest of the chat. Games earn you points and medals for the leaderboard, and that’s all there is to it.