How to play Bum

Bum in one minute

• 19 modes and a Random wheel that picks one for you (all modes)
• 3 lives, 2 passes by default; choose 1–3 lives and 0–3 passes in GAME SETTINGS, even mid-game
• Turn time 15, 30, 60 or 90 seconds; 15 seconds is “fast pace”
• 2–4 players on one phone, or solo with QUICK PLAY and the Journey
• Speak, or type on the game’s own letter keyboard (TYPE)
• Online matches are coming soon to the English version

What you need

• An iPhone or an Android phone.
• No sign-up: your progress is kept on your phone and backed up with your anonymous player account.
• Microphone permission. If you’d rather not, play with TYPE on the game’s letter keyboard.
• A friend or two. On your own? QUICK PLAY and the Journey are waiting.

Your phone’s speech recognition service turns the word you say into text; Bum doesn’t record or store your voice. Details are in the privacy policy.

Setting up a game

1. Choose who you play with. On the home screen: PLAY TOGETHER (a party on one phone) or QUICK PLAY (solo, the game starts right away).
2. Pick your mode. Tap the MODE chip on the home screen; the “?” button on every mode in the picker opens its intro. Can’t decide? Choose Random and spin the wheel.
3. Set up the table. In PLAY TOGETHER everyone types their name on the card of their own corner; the + in an empty corner adds a player, and holding a card removes one.
4. Set the rules. In GAME SETTINGS choose lives (1–3), passes (0–3) and time (15, 30, 60 or 90 seconds). 15 seconds is fast pace: no time to think, just hold and say it. You can also change them mid-game from the window that opens when you tap X.

Every mode has an intro screen with the rules and a live example. Tick “Don’t show again” and that mode starts straight away. In your first game, the STARTER TOUR shows you the button, TYPE, lives and passes inside a real game; replay it from Menu → Starter tour.

How a turn works

1. Read the rule. Big letters, a chunk or a pattern in the middle; the rule of the turn below. The timer ring starts running.
2. Hold and say it. Hold the button and say the word clearly. With TYPE, type it on the letter keyboard and send it.
3. The game checks it. The word is checked against a dictionary of more than 60,000 words, names and places, and against the rule of the turn.
4. The turn passes. Right? You score points. In chain modes the end of your word becomes the next player’s start.

Right, wrong and warnings

When playing with TYPE, typos don’t cost a life: the game just tells you why.

Two modes have their own rule: in Speed, a player whose time runs out is out; in Chess Clock, a player whose time bank runs out is out at once.

Scoring

Staying alive comes first: the last one standing wins. With 3–4 players on one phone, once someone is out the next round is the final round; then the player with the most lives wins, and if lives are tied, the one with more points. Points also show how well you played and go into the stats on your profile.

• Longer words score more in every mode.
• Hard rules (e.g. Last Two, Rhyme, Banned Letter) earn extra points.
• Speed bonus: the sooner you answer, the more extra points; a “FAST” badge appears on screen.
• A word found with a hint scores less.
• In Bum’s Secret, whoever cracks the secret early takes the big points.

2–4 players on one phone

Put the phone in the middle of the table and sit around it. Every player has their own button in their own corner. Whoever’s turn it is, the letters and text on screen turn to face them, so the player opposite reads everything the right way up. The letter keyboard that opens with TYPE turns to the current player too.

Letter-swap joker: on a letter everyone gets stuck on, the current player taps JOKER; when everyone at the table holds the button in their own corner together, the rule changes. A free joker every day.

Solo: QUICK PLAY and the Journey

QUICK PLAY asks nothing: the game starts the moment you tap it. Bum rivals line up like a ladder, from Rookie to Master to Legend, and every new rival is a different character. Beat your rival to climb a step; lose and you get a rematch, lose the rematch and you go down a step. Whoever beats the one at the top becomes the champion, and a new climb begins. Playing solo, you use the letter-swap joker directly.

The Journey (Profile → MY JOURNEY) is a 100-level map across 10 regions, from Word Town to Bum’s Palace. Every region introduces two modes; levels have no rival: answer the rules in a row and collect stars. A master waits at the last level of every region, and stars open the region chests. Every mode is playable on the map, no Pro needed.

The Daily Game: a daily word challenge

Every day, everyone gets the same 10 rules and 90 seconds in total. The same rules in the same order on every phone; a new game starts every night. The rules go from easy to hard.

• Skip a rule you don’t know with PASS; you can’t go back to it. The same word can’t be said twice.
• Points come only from words; on equal points, the one who finished faster is ahead.
• Result squares show right answers, long words, passes and misses. The shared text never contains the words themselves.
• Playing on consecutive days grows your streak; your streak earns you jokers.
• One try: the Daily Game starts when you tap START. Leave and the game ends with the points so far; sending the app to the background pauses the clock.

Which words count?

Bum’s English dictionary has more than 60,000 words, names and places, plus 40 categories. Made-up words don’t count; you can check whether a word counts on the game’s dictionary screen.

• The general modes use the English dictionary. Name Chain uses first names, City Chain countries, US states and world cities, Category its own lists.
• Words with endings (CATS, WALKED, RUNNING) don’t count: say the word without the ending (CAT, WALK, RUN).
• In Word Chain, if a word ends in X, the letter before it counts (BOX → O).
• Every rule has an answer made of words people actually know.

Found a missing or wrong word? Let us know.

Characters, levels and daily quests

You earn XP and level up as you play. Achievements unlock 35 Bum characters: 3 starter, 12 special, 16 epic and 4 royal characters. Every character has its own perk. Your profile’s STATS tab shows your recent games, your letter collection and your title road, and you can share your player card.

• Daily quests: the same 3 new quests for everyone every day; finish them to collect your reward.
• Word Treasure: every word you say for the first time joins your collection; rare words get a RARE badge.
• Mode of the week: every week one competitive mode is in the spotlight and open to everyone for the week.

10 tips to win

1. Find the word before you press the button; once you hold it, say one word clearly.
2. Switch to TYPE in a noisy room or when your word isn’t understood.
3. In chain modes, push your rival onto a hard letter: words ending in Y, K or Z.
4. Don’t spend your passes early: once they’re gone, a running-out clock costs a life.
5. Say it without waiting: an early answer earns a speed bonus.
6. In Climb and Letter Pool, long words make the difference.
7. In Word, try on your own first: a word found with a hint scores less.
8. In Chess Clock, save your time for the hard letters.
9. In the Daily Game, pass a rule you don’t know right away; the time is for ten rules.
10. Remember the rare words your rivals say; let your Word Treasure grow.

To see every mode with examples, go to the guide to all 19 modes.