Anchor Word

A fun game to find the anchor substring that appears in all the given words.

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Inspiration

We wanted to build quick, fun word puzzles you can play right inside Reddit.
The idea is to mix community-driven challenges with a fair scoring system and a simple, mobile-friendly UI.
We took inspiration from “word anchoring” mechanics and made them multiplayer with leaderboards.

What it does

  • Shows 4–6 clue words that all share the same hidden anchor substring (at the start or end).
  • Players guess the anchor word with instant client-side checks and server confirmation.
  • Awards Anchor Points based on the number of attempts and updates a global leaderboard.
  • Lets users create new challenges directly from the app with strong validation.
  • Blocks players from guessing on their own challenges, instead showing a “Show Results” option.

How we built it

  • Frontend: React + Vite WebView in Devvit, with custom styles.
  • State & Logic: Custom useAnchorWord() hook to handle fetching, validation, submitting, and UI states.
  • Backend: Express endpoints for init, guess, create, results, find-another, and leaderboard.
  • Storage: Devvit Redis for attempts, solved state, scoring, and challenge indexing.
  • Performance: Instant client-side validation for better use experience while keeping the server as the source of truth.

Challenges we faced

  • Handling Reddit API permissions for user-action posts(sometimes hitting 403 errors).
  • Designing a clean UI that’s both responsive and lightweight for puzzles.
  • Preventing users from guessing on their own challenges on both client and server.
  • Keeping the guess flow fast while still accurate.

Accomplishments

  • Built a smooth guess experience with proper loading states and instant feedback.
  • Designed a clean UI: bigger clue pills, clear status banners, and a polished header with logo.
  • Created a simple ruleset and scoring system that feels fair and encourages smart play.

What we learned

  • How Devvit Web handles user actions, installs, and permission scopes.
  • Balancing fast client-side checks with server truth for accuracy.
  • Useful Redis patterns for per-user and per-post game state and leaderboards.
  • How important inline feedback is (banners, spinners, disabled states) for a smooth UX.

What’s next for Anchor Word

  • A better results page with graphs and trends (solve order, time-to-solve).
  • A Daily Challenge mode with streaks and time-based bonus points.
  • Social features: share links and optional helper comments for posts.
  • Better creator tools: bulk validation, drafts, and scheduling options.
  • Accessibility and localization: keyboard focus states, ARIA support, and multi-language clues.
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