Show HN: I built a new word game, Wordtrak
Nick Quaranto developed a new word game called Wordtrak, inspired by his family's love for word games and his experience with NYT's Crossplay. The game features a 1v1 word battle format with multiple 'traks' where players compete for the highest score using strategic word placement. Built using Rails and Expo, Wordtrak emphasizes quick gameplay, a train-themed visual design, and a mobile-friendly interface.
- ▪Wordtrak is a 1v1 word battle game with 3 or 5 'traks' where players score points by placing words.
- ▪The game was designed with input from AI assistant Claude and feedback from friends and family.
- ▪Quaranto used familiar tech stacks like Rails and Expo.dev to build a mobile web-first experience with a split-flap display aesthetic.
- ▪Scrabble's tile scoring system was initially adopted, and triangular scoring was later added to improve point progression.
- ▪A custom dictionary was implemented using public sources, and features like stat tracking and lobbies were added during development.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
I built a new word game May 5, 2026 · by Nick Quaranto I've been playing word games my whole life. My mom has been regularly beating me at Scrabble since I could spell. I lose frequently to my wife Maya at Scrabble, and my kids beg to play Wordle every time we are waiting for a food order. My brother-in-law even made us a crossword to commemorate our wedding date. After trying out NYT's Crossplay recently for a few weeks, I set out to build a new word game from scratch. I had a few goals for myself: It's easy for my family members to play - and challenging Build a game you can put down and walk away from A familiar tech surface (simple mobile web, native apps) What is Wordtrak? Wordtrak is a 1v1 word battle.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Wordtrak.
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