Word Game

Abstract

A word game requires participants to determine a word based on one or more attributes, including one or more definitions, information about the linguistic origin of the word and its components, use in one or more sentences, number of letters, a letter in the word, and one or more parts of speech. After determining the word, the participant may be required to spell it.

Claims

1. A word game, comprising: providing one or more attributes of a word selected from a list consisting of a definition, origin of the word, a use in a sentence, a number of letters, a letter in the word, and a part of speech; having a participant determine the word based on the provided attributes; and having the participant spell the determined word.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a turn of word game, according to one implementation.

[0009] FIG. 2 lists several possible pieces of information about a word used in a word game, according to one implementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] In order to make objects, technical details, and advantages of the embodiments of the disclosure apparent, the technical solutions of the embodiments will be described in a clearly and fully understandable way in connection with the drawings related to the embodiments of the disclosure. It is understood that the described embodiments are just a part but not all of the embodiments of the disclosure. All other embodiments which may be obtained by one skilled in the art without any creative labor based on the described embodiments of the present disclosure fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0011] In the present disclosure, unless specified or limited otherwise, the term coupled, and the like are used broadly and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, integral connections, direct connections, or indirect connections via intervening elements; which can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a turn of a word game, according to one implementation. When a participant has a turn, a word will be selected for the participant to spell. A moderator may give one or more Definitions of the Word 110. In one implementation, one definition may be given. In another implementation, multiple definitions may be given. The participant may be given the Word used in a Sentence(s) 120. In this case, the moderator may use the word in a sentence but not pronounce the word; instead, the word blank may be said where the word would usually be. The participant may be given the word's Part(s) of Speech 130 or some other details about the word. For example, the moderator may say that the word is a noun, adverb, interjection, or another part of speech. If the word is a noun, the participant may be told whether it is a singular or plural noun. If the word may be used as different parts of speech, one or more of the parts of speech may be provided. For example, the word run may be used as a noun, I went on a run, or a verb, I will run. A part of speech may refer to any attribute of the word.

[0013] The participant may be given the Origin 140 of the word or its components. The moderator may provide an origin and additional information about how the word came to be in the language of the game, which may include, for example, what the word's components meant in the originating language(s). For example, the moderator may say, This word originated in Latin and is a combination of the Latin word for again, anew, or back and the Latin word for to shine. This word then passed into English. Other words may have more complex etymologies. For example, the word hyperbole has two separate Greek words combined into Latin and then passed into English, while other words may have a German part and a Greek part that pass into Latin and then into English.

[0014] In another implementation, a word in the origin language may be provided. For example, for the word satrap, the moderator may say that the word originally comes from the Sanskrit word khshathrapavan, definition protector of the domain.

[0015] An example turn for the word resplendent may go as follows:

[0016] A definition: shining brilliantly; characterized by a glowing splendor.

[0017] Used in a sentence: She looked blank in her green evening gown. Note that the word is not pronounced; the word blank is said instead of resplendent.

[0018] A part of speech: adjective.

[0019] Origin: This word originated in Latin and is a combination of the Latin word for again, anew, or back and the Latin word for to shine. This word then passed into English.

[0020] Note that in this example of the word game, no pronunciation of the word is given, and the word is never spoken, even in the example sentence.

[0021] Any information provided, including the definition, use in a sentence, and origin, may be provided upon being asked by the participant or automatically provided. The information may be provided in a different order than described herein.

[0022] One having skill in the art will recognize that more information may be provided about the word, for example, number of letters, first letter, or other information. For example, this may allow the game to be played by less experienced participants. In another implementation, less information may be provided; the moderator may provide less information about the origin of the word, for example.

[0023] In one implementation, the participant may be allowed to ask certain types of questions. In one implementation, the participant may be allowed to ask questions about the origin. For example, if the word is hyperbole and the participant is given the clue This word comes from a combination of two Greek words, the first meaning to go beyond and the second meaning to throw, the participant may ask the question, Does it come from the Greek hyper meaning to go beyond? and the moderator must answer the question by saying Yes. If the participant instead asked the question, Does it come from the Greek kakos meaning to go beyond? the moderator must answer the question by saying No. In another implementation, the moderator may answer the question by confirming or saying Yes, denying or saying No, or another answer implying that the participant is partially but not entirely correct.

[0024] If a participant correctly determines the word and spells it properly, they may move on to another round, while misspelling it may lead to elimination from the game.

[0025] In another implementation, a participant may be awarded points for a correct spelling and may be allowed to continue playing, even after misspelling the word. This may allow a game to be played with two participants without requiring a new game each time one fails to spell a word correctly. It may also allow one participant to track their score over time, which may allow them to tell if they are improving.

[0026] In yet another implementation, a participant may be awarded points for guessing the correct word and additional points for spelling it correctly. One having skill in the art will recognize that various ways of scoring the game may be used.

[0027] In another implementation, a process may be provided to challenge a ruling if a participant believes that a moderator made an error. For example, suppose the moderator gives incomplete or incorrect information about the origin of the word or says that a word is a noun rather than saying it is a plural noun. In that case, it may lead a participant to answer with an incorrect word. The participant may then be able to challenge being marked as incorrect with the associated consequences.

[0028] In yet another implementation, this game may not require a moderator or the clues to be spoken out. For example, a puzzle may be printed in a newspaper, or a sequence of puzzles may be published in a book for readers to solve.

[0029] In addition to enabling vocabulary bees, this may enable spelling bees. In languages with consistent spelling rules, German, for example, the word game may allow for a competition. In contrast, a spelling bee may not be practical for such languages. By not providing any pronunciation, participants may have to have other knowledge of vocabulary and linguistic origins to spell them correctly, rather than relying on translating pronunciations into spelling using rules of the language.

[0030] FIG. 2 lists several possible pieces of information about a word used in a word game, according to one implementation. For example, information about a word may include Definition(s) 210, Origin 220, Use in a Sentence 230, Number of Letters 240, One of the Letters in the Word 250, Part of Speech 260, or Other Details about Origin 270.

[0031] One having skill in the art will recognize that other attributes may also be used to help identify a word.

[0032] While various aspects of implementations within the scope of the appended claims are described above, various features of implementations described above may be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and that any specific structure or function described above is merely illustrative. An aspect described herein may be implemented independently of any other aspects, and that two or more of these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus may be implemented, or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects disclosed herein. In addition, such an apparatus may be implemented, or such a method may be practiced using other structure or functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects disclosed herein.

[0033] While the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0034] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. As used in the description of the implementations and the appended claims, the singular forms a, an, and the are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms comprises or comprising, when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof.