Snoo's Lexis

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Inspiration

Snoo’s Lexis took inspiration from the New York Times Spelling Bee game, with limited time and letters given but endless combinations can be come up with, bringing fun and linguistic depth to players. Our goal was to create a game that feels competitive, replayable, and satisfying within a short session.

What it does

In Snoo’s Lexis, players will receive a set of 6 distinct letters. The assignment is to build words that are composed only of the provided letters, meet the minimum length requirements, and words must exist in the dictionary. Players have a 120 seconds countdown to come up with words. Each valid submission earns points, the number of points will vary based on how rare the letters used are, and duplicate submissions will be rejected.

How we built it

Frontend: We used React and TypeScript. TypeScript helped enforce strict typing for game state (letters, words, score, timer), reducing runtime bugs and improving maintainability. Devvit Integration: We integrated it using Devvit, Reddit’s developer platform for immersive web experiences. The game runs inside a webview compiled with Vite. Devvit handles deployment and live playtesting in Reddit. Game Logic & State Management: The core gameplay loop is powered by structured state management within React. We track selected letters, submitted words, score accumulation logic, countdown timer state. We used functional state updates to prevent stale state issues during rapid interactions.

Challenges we ran into

Firstly, we faced the challenge of integrating dictionaries in the game, defining acceptable words, and designing the point system so that it is fair and logical, especially when players use less common letters in the alphabet or come up with rarer words. Secondly, we tried to design the system so that it recognized duplicate submissions or inconsistent selected-letter states. Thirdly, we worked on the game interface and UI in a short period of time. Because players are racing against the clock, every tap needs to feel instant and responsive, any delay can cause frustration or mistakes.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Built a complete, playable daily game loop with a clear win condition
• Designed a UI that is fast to use under pressure
• Successfully integrated Devvit + React with a TypeScript codebase

What we learned

• Design gameplay around constraints
• Better patterns for React state management in interactive games
• Practical lessons in Devvit and web dev workflows

What's next for Snoo's Lexis

Daily seed system so everyone plays the same letters each day Leaderboards and streak tracking Hints / shuffle / undo features to improve flow without reducing difficulty Difficulty modes

Built With

• devvit
• hono
• javascript
• react
• typescript
• vite