Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

WordGamesHelper.com ("WordGamesHelper", "we", "us") provides free tools for word games such as Scrabble and Words with Friends. This page explains what information we collect when you use the site, how we use it, and the terms that apply to your use of our tools. We have tried to keep it short and in plain English.

1. Information We Collect

Information you type into our tools

When you use the unscrambler, the word lookup, or the word search generator, the letters or words you enter are sent to our server so we can return results. We store the letters submitted to the unscrambler and the terms submitted to the lookup pages, together with the time of the search and the number of results returned. These records are not linked to your name, email address, IP address, or any account, because the site has no user accounts. We use them to show the "recent searches" and "popular searches" lists on the site and to understand which features people use.

Words you enter into the word search generator are used only to build your puzzle and are not stored after the puzzle is generated.

Information collected automatically

Like almost every website, our servers and hosting providers keep standard access logs. These may include your IP address, browser type, the pages you request, the time of the request, and the page that referred you. Logs are used for security, debugging, and capacity planning, and are kept for a limited time.

Information we do not collect

We do not ask for your name, email address, or payment details. There is no registration, login, or newsletter. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

2. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use a small number of cookies and browser storage features:

• Security cookie (csrftoken). Set by the Django framework to protect forms against cross-site request forgery. It contains a random token and no personal information.
• Local storage. Some tools remember your preferences (for example, which words you have marked as "tried") in your browser's local storage. This data never leaves your device.
• Analytics cookies. See the next section.
• Advertising cookies. See section 4.

You can delete or block cookies through your browser settings. The site's core tools will continue to work if you do, although some conveniences may be lost.

3. Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site: which pages are popular, how people arrive, what devices they use, and so on. Google Analytics sets cookies and collects your IP address and browsing behaviour on this site. IP addresses are anonymised by Google and we do not receive them. Google may use this data in accordance with its own Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

We may also use Cloudflare Web Analytics, a privacy-focused service that does not use cookies or track individuals across sites.

4. Advertising

To keep WordGamesHelper free, we may display advertisements served by third-party advertising networks, including Google AdSense. These networks may use cookies and similar technologies to show you ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites.

• Google uses the DoubleClick cookie (and similar identifiers) to serve ads based on your visits to this site and other sites on the internet.
• You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
• You can opt out of some third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalised advertising at www.aboutads.info.

Third-party ad networks operate under their own privacy policies. We do not control the cookies they set and we do not share the search terms you enter into our tools with them.

5. How We Use Information

We use the information described above to:

• Return results for your searches and generate your puzzles.
• Display aggregated "recent" and "popular" searches to all visitors.
• Measure and improve the performance and usefulness of the site.
• Detect abuse, protect the security of the service, and comply with legal obligations.
• Fund the site through advertising.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it with third parties except for the analytics and advertising providers described on this page, hosting and infrastructure providers who process it on our behalf, or where required by law.

6. Data Retention

Search records are kept indefinitely in anonymised form because they are not linked to any individual. Server access logs are rotated and deleted on a rolling basis. Analytics data is retained according to the retention settings of the analytics provider.

7. Your Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights under laws such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), including the right to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you. Because we do not collect information that identifies you, in most cases we will not be able to associate any data with you. If you have a question or request, contact us using the details below and we will do our best to help.

8. External Links

Our blog and tools may link to other websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites.

9. Terms of Use

By using WordGamesHelper you agree to the following:

• Free for personal use. The tools and the public API are provided free of charge for personal, non-commercial use. Automated use of the API is welcome within fair-use limits; please do not hammer the service or attempt to scrape the entire word database.
• No warranty. The site and its word lists are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Word lists are compiled from publicly available sources and may differ from the official dictionary used in any particular game or tournament. Always check with your game's official rules.
• Fair play. Our tools are intended for practice, study, puzzle creation, and casual play. Using them during a competitive or rated game may violate that game's rules. That is between you and your opponent.
• Content. Blog articles and other original content on this site are © WordGamesHelper.com. You may quote short excerpts with attribution and a link.
• Trademarks. Scrabble®, Words with Friends™, Wordle®, and other game names are trademarks of their respective owners. WordGamesHelper is an independent site and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any of them.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this page from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top shows when the most recent change was made. Continued use of the site after a change means you accept the updated policy.

11. Contact

Questions about this policy or about the site can be sent to [email protected].