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How scoring works: Word Search Mini
Your game score comes from your own puzzle result. Your party rank compares that score with your party's submissions for the same day.
Quick summary
Word Search Mini is scored on how fast you find every hidden word. Your time falls into one of six score brackets (1.0 down to 0.5), or a 0.2 floor if slower than 10 minutes.
How to score well
- Solve the puzzle as quickly as possible — 30 seconds or less is a perfect score.
- Scan the grid in a consistent pattern so you miss fewer words on the first pass.
- Even a slow solve earns at least 0.2 — there is no failure state in Word Search Mini.
- There is no tiebreaker, so players who finish at the same time share the same rank.
How ranking works in parties
- Your score is compared to other party members who solved the same day's Word Search Mini.
- There is no secondary tiebreaker — players who tie on time share the same rank.
- Ties are broken using competition ranking.
Example
You solve Word Search Mini #6 in 1:44 (104 seconds). Your time falls in the 60–120s bracket, so you earn a normalized score of 0.8. A partymate who finished in 0:55 scores 0.9.
How to submit your score
On iOS, tap Share → PuzzleParty after solving. On Android/web, tap Share, copy the result, and paste it into PuzzleParty.
Technical scoring data
{
"ranking": {
"tie_algorithm": {
"key": "competition_ranking",
"display_name": "Competition ranking"
}
},
"examples": [
"Solving Word Search Mini in 0:25 (25 seconds) earns a normalized score of 1.0.",
"Solving in 1:00 (60 seconds) earns 0.9 \u2014 very fast.",
"Solving in 1:44 (104 seconds) earns 0.8 \u2014 a typical quick solve.",
"Solving in 5:00 (300 seconds) earns 0.6 \u2014 slower but solid.",
"Solving in 12:00 (720 seconds) earns the 0.2 solved floor."
],
"rule_text": "Faster solve times produce better normalized scores. Scoring uses a step-function bracket table: 30 seconds or less earns 1.0, up to 60 seconds earns 0.9, up to 2 minutes earns 0.8, up to 3 minutes earns 0.7, up to 5 minutes earns 0.6, up to 10 minutes earns 0.5. Any solved time slower than 10 minutes earns the minimum solved score of 0.2. Word Search Mini has no failure state \u2014 you keep searching until every word is found \u2014 so every shared entry is solved.",
"edge_cases": [
"Word Search Mini has no failure state, so there are no unsolved entries; the 0.0 score is unreachable in practice.",
"Solved entries never score below 0.2, regardless of how slow the time is.",
"Times at exactly a bracket threshold (e.g., exactly 30s, 60s) receive that bracket's score (inclusive).",
"words_found and words_total are recorded for display only and never affect the score.",
"There is no tiebreaker \u2014 players who tie on time share the same rank."
],
"measurement": {
"metric_key": "time_seconds",
"metric_label": "Time to solve",
"scoring_type": "time_based"
},
"human_review": {
"checklist": [
"Verify rule_text reflects the time-based scoring behavior and the correct bracket thresholds without ambiguity.",
"Verify examples are readable and match expected outcomes across the bracket range.",
"Verify edge_cases make clear there is no failure state and no tiebreaker."
],
"machine_verifiable_scope": [
"measurement.scoring_type",
"absolute_scoring.method",
"absolute_scoring.solved_floor",
"absolute_scoring.unsolved_score",
"absolute_scoring.brackets",
"ranking.tie_algorithm.key"
]
},
"party_ranking": {
"normalization_summary": "Within a party, players are ranked on Word Search Mini by faster completion times first. There is no secondary tiebreaker and no failure state \u2014 every shared entry is solved. Each player earns one point for every party member they beat, plus one."
},
"schema_version": 1,
"absolute_scoring": {
"method": "time_based",
"brackets": {
"30": 1,
"60": 0.9,
"120": 0.8,
"180": 0.7,
"300": 0.6,
"600": 0.5
},
"scoring_type": "time_based",
"solved_floor": 0.2,
"unsolved_score": 0
}
}