1. Go for long words
Relio's points table climbs very fast with length: 1 point for 3 letters, 2 for 4, 4 for 5, 7 for 6, 11 for 7 and 15 from 8 letters. A single 7-letter word is worth eleven 3-letter words.
Every 5 × 5 grid holds at least two words of 6 letters or more. They are worth looking for, even if short words come more easily.
The simplest route is often to start from a short word you already found and try to stretch it: a prefix in front, an ending behind. A 4-letter word extended by two tiles goes from 2 to 7 points.
2. Stretch every find
Relio's French dictionary accepts every form of a word: plurals, feminines, conjugated verbs. Each form counts as a separate word. As soon as a word is accepted, look around its last letter.
A neighbouring S turns CHAT into CHATS, an E turns a masculine into a feminine, an R or an E opens verb forms. These extensions are the easiest points in the game: the path is already in front of you.
3. Submit without hesitating
A rejected word costs nothing: a cross appears, and that's it. The only price of a miss is the time spent building it.
If a word looks possible, submit it. Doubt costs more than a cross. Words you already found are simply flagged "Déjà trouvé" (already found), with no penalty either.
4. On a computer, type on the keyboard
On a computer, you can type a word straight on the keyboard: the game finds a valid path in the grid by itself. No need to click tile by tile.
That is often the fastest way to try long words. Spot a promising run of letters, then type the candidates one after another. If a letter can't extend any possible path, the game refuses it on the spot, so you know right away the word isn't in the grid.
5. Look for letter clusters, not single letters
Letters are drawn according to their frequency in French: E is by far the most common, followed by S, A, I, T, N and R. Familiar French clusters therefore show up often: RE, ES, ER, ON, IN, AN.
Rather than starting from a lone letter, spot those clusters and see what you can build around them. A cluster like ENT or ER at the edge of the grid often signals several verb forms.
6. Pace your 90 seconds
The timer starts when the game opens. Use the first seconds to pick the obvious words: they put points on the board and show you how the grid is built.
Keep the middle of the game for long words and extensions. In the last seconds, go back to safe short words: a 3- or 4-letter word is quick to make. Even one extra point can be the difference between two and three stars.
7. Learn from the solution
When time is up, you can keep searching without scoring, or show the solution. The recap lists words as "Trouvés" (found), "Hors délai" (after time) and "Manqués" (missed). Tap a word to see its path in the grid.
Take a few seconds to scan the missed words, especially the longest ones. The same patterns keep coming back: a forgotten ending, an untried plural, a diagonal path.
What doesn't help
- Finishing fast. Every game lasts the same time; only points count.
- Looking for a joker. Relio doesn't have one.
- Playing on after time for the score. Words found afterwards earn nothing, even if they show up.
Going further
New to the game? Start with the Relio rules and a walked-through game. For more letter grids, see our pick of games like Boggle or our daily word games.