HIG

a six-letter word guessing game for two

send the link to someone. you each play on your own device.
you each choose a secret six-letter word. then you both press H to see who goes first.
take turns guessing each other's word. there are two ways to play, and either of you can switch before you press H:
- simple: letters in the right place turn green, letters in the word but somewhere else turn blue, as in Wordle.
- original: HIG as it was first played, in the 1940s. under each guess, a green dot for every letter in the right place and a blue ring for every letter in the word but somewhere else, without saying which letters they are.
first to guess wins. if the player who went first gets it, the other has one last go to draw.

the story of HIG

HIG is a word game that dates back to 1940s Oxford.

Its inventor was an Oxford English literature don named Chesney Horwood, who was part of the Inklings – a literary discussion group that included JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. Horwood (as he was known) devised the game to amuse these colleagues in studies, common rooms and pubs, and it became known as Horwood’s Intellectual Game, or HIG.

Chesney is the grandfather of figword co-founder Ben Moody. Enjoy playing!