# Typeshift — Snappy word puzzles

> Word puzzle game combining anagrams, word search, and crossword mechanics. (iPhone/iPad app by Zach Gage.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/typeshift/id1084762137 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Zach Gage](https://appshunter.io/developer/294263418)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Puzzle, Word
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 497 App Store ratings · 211 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 72 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-03-18
- Data updated: 2026-09-09
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/typeshift/id1084762137/reviews.md

## What is Typeshift?

From the creator of SpellTower, comes a new and completely original word game!
Anagrams meets Word Search, with a sprinkle of Crosswords.

Typeshift is the modern anagram puzzle; re-imagined from the ground up, combining wordplay, modern game design, and a mobile-first approach.

In most anagram games, you search for new combinations within a single word, but in Typeshift, you search within three to five words stacked & scrambled up together.  

Shift columns of letters up and down as you try to spell words in the center row. Play continues until you have used all letters in a puzzle at least once.

Special Clue Puzzles combine Crosswords with Anagrams as you match clever clues provided by Typeshift's various puzzle authors.

- Daily Word Game Play with Global Leaderboards - 

Typeshift features a free daily challenge with global leaderboards. The easiest challenge for the week appears on Monday, and progressively more challenging puzzles build throughout the week.

Compare your fastest Typeshift daily solving times with players around the globe!

------WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING

"Addictive and edifying, like popping a special kind of bubble wrap that expands your vocabulary.”
- The Verge

"Typeshift is a unmissable entry to the [word] genre." Gold Award.
- Pocket Gamer

"Typeshift is f*cking awesome"
- Giant Bombcast

"The Word Puzzle Game You've Been Waiting For"
- Waypoint

"Well worth your time"
- Sixcolors

------WHATS IN THE “BOX”?

Typeshift comes with over a hundred free puzzles, with more coming soon, plus new free daily puzzles every day.
Additional puzzle packs may be purchased in-app.
Purchasing any puzzle pack removes ads, and unlocks themes & detailed statistics.

------A WORD FROM THE DEVELOPER

Typeshift continues my quest to re-imagine classic newspaper games in the digital era. 
Where SpellTower tackled word search and Really Bad Chess handled chess puzzles, Typeshift re-examines Anagrams and Crosswords.

Typeshift has been a joy to develop, and I hope you have as much fun playing it as I had making it.
As always, thanks so much for your support!

-zach

## Key features

- Anagram and word search mechanics
- Shift letter columns to spell words
- Daily challenges with leaderboards
- Special clue puzzles
- Unlockable puzzle packs
- Themes and statistics

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pecan Clue Puzzle Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Walnut Clue Puzzle Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Parmesan Clue Puzzle Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Umami Clue Puzzle Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Chocolate Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Peppermint Puzzle Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pistachio Clue Puzzle Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sophomore Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gumshoe Clue Bundle | $3.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of Typeshift?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Challenging and fun
- 👍 Unique and innovative game concept
- ⭐ Great brain workout
- 🎨 Elegant and minimalistic design
- 📚 Helps expand vocabulary

**Cons**

- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔍 Obscure/uncommon words used
- 🔇 Intrusive ads
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- ⚠️ Compatibility issues with newer devices
- 🔋 Battery drain

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Puzzle timer inaccuracies
- Purchased content not restoring properly
- Letters not registering correctly
- Puzzles not displaying properly on some devices

**Most requested features**

- More clue puzzles and puzzle packs
- Option to reset/replay completed puzzle packs
- Sync progress across devices
- Support for British/Australian English
- Built-in dictionary with better word definitions

## Recent user reviews (10 of 211)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/typeshift/id1084762137/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great word game

*2026-08-12, version 1.2.11*

Clever word game that has you looking forward to each day of the week as the difficulty increases.

### 2/5 — Too many weird words

*2026-06-02, version 1.2.10*

Some puzzles are fun, but so many of the words are not real.  If you finally get one and then look it up, no dictionary anywhere can find it.  I’m actually stuck in one now for three days, even AI can’t solve it, so I’m deleting the app.

### 1/5 — So many glitches

*2026-05-03, version 1.2.10*

I resent the multiple fake security alert “ads.” Clicking on tutorial leaves the screen covered in words without clearing it.

### 1/5 — What happened?

*2026-04-17, version 1.2.10*

After using this app with pleasure for a long time, today I got a modal message on the screen saying that my iPhone has been hacked etc. etc. It sounds like *this game* has been hacked! I immediately deleted it.

### 2/5 — Type is hard to read, words obscure

*2026-01-03, version 1.2.10*

Not for me

### 1/5 — Used to be Good!

*2025-12-20, version 1.2.10*

The ``hints'' function no longer works!

### 1/5 — Abandoned ?

*2025-12-10, version 1.2.10*

Not updated in over 4 years. 
No more dictionary. 
Haptics gone. 
Pervasive fake scam advertising. 
Must be an embarrassment for the dev. Perhaps just could care less.

### 1/5 — Scam

*2025-11-24, version 1.2.10*

This app has an ad that states “Your iPhone has been hacked. All your actions are tracked by a hacker. Immediate action is required!”
Deleted and reported.

### 2/5 — Pop-up scam issue

*2025-10-18, version 1.2.10*

I’ve used this app casually for years, I usually do the daily puzzle. Minutes ago, I received a pop-up scam while using the app…it visually masqueraded as a standard iPhone notification, very accurately so, and claimed ‘your phone has been hacked, immediate action is required, click here’ etc. Force-closing the program got rid of it so it was clearly from the program itself, probably an ad running from someone they receive money from. Clicking it would’ve likely led me to a phishing site or malware. This is unacceptable and you guys need to figure out who ran that scam pop-up because it’s going to turn off a lot of your users.

### 2/5 — Ads are annoying

*2025-06-26, version 1.2.10*

The app stated that if you purchase any of the game packs ads will go away. However, I’m still getting annoying long ads. The constant interruptions makes the game not fun to play.

## Frequently asked questions about Typeshift

### What is Typeshift?

Typeshift is a unique word puzzle game that blends anagrams, word search, and crossword elements. Players shift columns of letters to spell words in a central row, aiming to use all letters at least once. It offers a daily challenge with global leaderboards and special clue-based puzzles.

### How do you play Typeshift?

In Typeshift, you are presented with three to five stacked and scrambled words. Your goal is to shift columns of letters up and down to form new words in the center row. The puzzle is complete when all letters from the original words have been used at least once.

### Is Typeshift free to play?

Typeshift offers a significant amount of free content, including over a hundred puzzles and new free daily puzzles every day. Additional puzzle packs can be purchased within the app to unlock more content, themes, and detailed statistics.

### What devices is Typeshift compatible with?

While specific compatibility details are not provided in the description, the app is described as having a 'mobile-first approach,' suggesting it is designed for smartphones and tablets. It is likely available on both iOS and Android platforms.

### What are the benefits of purchasing puzzle packs?

Purchasing any puzzle pack in Typeshift removes all advertisements from the game. It also unlocks additional themes for customization and provides access to detailed statistics about your gameplay, allowing you to track your progress and performance.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.11 — 2026-07-15

Bug fixes

### 1.2.10 — 2021-10-16

puzzle updates

### 1.2.9 — 2021-10-10

- puzzle updates

### 1.2.8 — 2021-09-30

- puzzle pack updates

### 1.2.7 — 2021-09-28

- additional block-list updates
- daily puzzle updates

## Apps similar to Typeshift

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Typing Spelling Game: Words Up](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/typing-spelling-game-words-up/id1634431138) | 4.7 (70) | Free | Games |
| [Spelling Queen Pangrams](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelling-queen-pangrams/id1591639792) | 4.7 (6,012) | Free | Games |
| [Wordfully - Word Puzzles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wordfully-word-puzzles/id1604429350) | 4.7 (10,616) | Free | Games |
| [Dingbats - Word Games & Trivia](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dingbats-word-games-and-trivia/id1545206038) | 4.6 (83,772) | Free | Games |
| [QXZ: Word Search Puzzles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qxz-word-search-puzzles/id1437694980) | 4.3 (3) | Free | Games |
| [Word Universe - Word Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/word-universe-word-game/id1444727060) | 4.8 (6,806) | Free | Games |

## More apps by Zach Gage

- [Pocket Run Pool](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-run-pool/id949982914)
- [Sage Solitaire](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sage-solitaire/id1004646445)
- [Really Bad Chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/really-bad-chess/id1109751921)
- [SpellTower Français](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelltower-francais/id1160360982)
- [SpellTower Nederlands](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spelltower-nederlands/id1160360990)

All apps by Zach Gage: https://appshunter.io/developer/294263418

## Related topics

[typeshift](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/typeshift) · [snappy word](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/snappy-word) · [knotwords](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/knotwords)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-09.*