Designed to appeal to different players and age groups, word games have become a go-to pastime for millions of people all over the world. Although modern technologies such as video-gaming and on-demand television initially posed a threat to the popular hobby, the social aspect of word games remains unique and essential for many players.
Through this research article, WordRaiders looks at the industry’s prominent market trends, the most popular titles and some of the key benefits that come with regular play.
Top insights
- The global word games market size is estimated at $4.2 billion as of 2024, but is expected to grow to $7.8 billion by 2033.
- Around the world, approximately 150 million copies of Scrabble have been sold.
- After its acquisition by the New York Times in 2022, Wordle attracted an estimated tens of millions of new players to the newspaper.
- Wordscapes has a share of 22% in the global word games app market.
- Almost 1 in 2 Americans believe playing word games is a productive way to spend time.
- Improvements in cognitive test scores can be seen in people who play word games at least once per day, compared to people who never play them.
- 35% of the best performing children academically have parents who encourage them to play word games.
- Word games have been shown to have a retention rate of 29%, which is above average when compared to other game genres.
- As of 2022, the annual number of word games app downloads is 1.42 billion.
Word games market statistics
Word games have aged well, evolving from exclusively physical puzzle or board games to digital products used for both recreational and educational purposes. Because of this successful transformation, the word games market has been, and is expected to keep growing over the years:
- As of 2024, the global word games market size stands at $4.2 billion.
- With an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8%, the market is projected to reach $7.8 billion by 2033.
- North America accounts for 38% of the global word games market size, making it the leader in the field.
- However, Asia is projected to be the highest-growing region over the next period, growing by 8.4% annually, on average.
- Crossword puzzles account for almost one third (32%) of the total market size.
- Over the past few years, mobile platforms started to dominate the market, currently accounting for 54% of the total revenue.
- Adults are the biggest user group within the word games market, accounting for 47% of the total market revenue.
Global word games app market
Historically, word games were generally available to consumers either as multiplayer board games or as puzzles printed in newspapers and magazines for one player to complete. However, as technology has developed, so too has the word games market. Popular word game apps available on phones and tablets generate substantial revenue, which is projected to grow year-on-year.
- As of 2022, global revenues from word game apps were estimated at $2.23 billion.
- $1.93 billion (86.55%) of this is from advertising, $0.28 billion (12.56%) from in-app purchases, and $0.01 billion (0.45%) from the one-time purchase of an app.
- From 2022 to 2027, revenue from word game apps is projected to grow to $3.60 billion.
- This would represent a total increase of 61.43% for the given period.
- As of 2022, the United States generated the highest app revenue from word games of any country ($1.74 billion).
- Overall, 78.03% of global revenue from word game apps is generated in the US.
- The United Kingdom ranks second with revenues of $0.12 billion, while China ranks third with $0.11 billion.
| Year | Advertising | In-app purchases | Paid app | Total revenue |
| 2027 | $3.18 billion | $0.40 billion | $0.01 billion | $3.60 billion |
| 2026 | $2.97 billion | $0.38 billion | $0.01 billion | $3.36 billion |
| 2025 | $2.77 billion | $0.36 billion | $0.01 billion | $3.13 billion |
| 2024 | $2.46 billion | $0.33 billion | $0.01 billion | $2.80 billion |
| 2023 | $2.18 billion | $0.30 billion | $0.01 billion | $2.49 billion |
| 2022 | $1.93 billion | $0.28 billion | $0.01 billion | $2.23 billion |
Word games apps usage
Globally, the average time spent using word-game apps is 21.6 minutes for females and 20.9 minutes for males. However, the difference in the average daily usage varies across regions – Asia and Africa have the highest, while North and South America have the lowest. The following table shows the average daily minutes spent using word game apps, per region and gender (in minutes):
| Region | Male | Female |
| Africa | 24.9 | 25.4 |
| Asia | 23.7 | 21.6 |
| Europe | 22.3 | 21.1 |
| Oceania | 24.3 | 20.2 |
| North America | 20.1 | 19.1 |
| Latin America | 18.7 | 18 |
Benefits of playing word games
Playing word games regularly can provide a whole host of benefits to a person’s mental and social wellbeing. What’s more, word games can even provide benefits to players on an academic level due to their emphasis on spelling and vocabulary. Some of the most common benefits are given below:
- Fun to play: Many people play word games as a way to enjoy themselves in their free time. As a recreational activity, word games allow players to challenge themselves in single or multiplayer games according to their own preference.
- Relieve stress: Playing word games can be a great way to counter the stress we accumulate in our daily lives. Healthy competition allows players to pit their skills against one another, while also knowing that success is not of great importance compared to other aspects of their lives.
- Aid concentration: In order to play word games, players must demonstrate an ability to focus on the task at hand. As we focus on rearranging letters to form new words, our brains need to switch off from the outside world in order to find solutions to the puzzle at hand.
- Increase memory: Word games require us to use our memory to recall words from our vocabulary and to identify patterns that appear in words we need to unscramble. Additionally, players may try to remember past games to learn from their previous mistakes and imitate the best turns they have played.
- Improve spelling: Through repeated exposure to different types of words, players of word games have many opportunities to improve their spelling. As players are not able to play words that are spelled incorrectly, there is an incentive to learn the correct way to spell any word that is played.
- Expand vocabulary: People who frequently play word games are likely to see their vocabulary improve. Whether playing against a computer opponent or other humans, players are constantly able to see the words their competitor plays. From this they can learn their spelling and meaning, before remembering them for use in future turns or games.
- Heighten creativity: Word games require players to think in creative ways to come up with solutions for each turn. To solve anagrams, players need to be able to visualize different letter combinations and apply them to any spelling rules they are aware of, testing the brain in abstract ways.
- Emotional balance: As with many kinds of games, word games require players to stay clear headed in order to make the best possible moves. Continual practice can allow players to become more comfortable with their decision-making under pressure, stabilizing their emotions and improving their play.
- Social skills boost: One of the biggest appeals of word games to players is that they can be played against other human opponents. Typically, people enjoy being able to socialize over a board game, enjoying each other’s company in a comfortable and relaxing environment. This can provide players of all ages and backgrounds the perfect setting to develop their social skills.
- Self-confidence: Overall, a person’s self-confidence can be improved by combining together all of the skills people need in order to play word games. As each player becomes comfortable with the rules of the game, is able to compete against others and begins developing a winning strategy, their confidence should naturally increase.
Retention rates of word games
When compared to other types of games, word games show an above average player retention. As a result of this, players are more likely to continue playing them once they have started developing an interest in the hobby. As time passes, the mental, social and even academic rewards that result from playing word games can continue to be gained by enthusiasts.
A graph is given below to compare the retention rates of word games:
