Hoot

Hoot helps word game enthusiasts prepare for games with multiple study options

Description

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If you are struggling in your games on Words with Friends or Scrabble, a little study will go a long way. Whether you are a beginner or expert, serious or casual, Hoot can help. If you are free to use external resources in your games (cheat), Hoot can help you find the best plays based on your rack and available tiles.

Hoot is a study tool for players of word games like Scrabble and Words with Friends. While Hoot can show anagrams for a set of letters, Hoot is much, much more than an anagram tool for word games like Scrabble, Words with friends, Wordsmith, Scrabulous and others. If the lexicon contains them, you can even use Hoot to search for words up to 21 letters for games like Super Scrabble.

Hoot has multiple search options (see below), and the entry screen lets you enter multiple parameters to consider including the number of letters, beginnings, and endings. You can specify sort order with two specifications (sort by, then by). Results are displayed in common format showing hooks and inner hooks with score in the margin. You can optionally show probability and playability rankings, and number of anagrams.

Look up the definitions of words by clicking on the word in the results. Both words and definitions are local, so Internet isn't required. Results are not limited to a certain number of words.

Use wildcards (?, *) in many searches, and pattern searching available using a modified regular expression engine. See www.tylerhosting.com/hoot/help/pattern.html

With each list of results, Hoot includes a context menu to let you expand your search based on a word in the results. For example, RAISE anagrams has PRAISE as one result. Long clicking on that word lets you search using one of nine different options, including

In addition to the search options you can use the app as an adjudication tool to handle word challenges in club play and tournaments according to NASPA rules. Enter multiple words and the app will tell if the play is acceptable without identifying which words are valid.

Lexicons

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To minimize download size and resources, each release of Hoot includes a single lexicon. Hoot uses the WJ2-2016 lexicon (similar to TWL) for NASPA games, and Hoot for Collins uses Collins Official Scrabble Words for WESPA games. You can, however, use your own database from the desktop version of Hoot with one or more lexicons. (see below).

Features

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• Free unlimited version with no ads

• More than a dozen search options

• Easy to select search parameters (length, begins, ends)

• Wildcards (blank tiles) and pattern searches available

• Immediate results for most searches

• Results show word, hooks, inner hooks

• Word definitions (click)

• Nine context searches of word in results (long click)

• Word Judge

• Dictionaries: select the version for your lexicon, or use an external database

• Can install on SD Card

• Supports multiple window (split screen) on supporting devices

Search Options

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• Anagram

• Letter Count

• Hook Words

• Pattern

• Contains

• Word Builder

• Contains All Letters

• Begins With

• Ends With

• Vowel Heavy

• Consonant Dumps

• Q not U

• Blank Anagrams (Stems)

Version 1 of Hoot for Android is the first phase of porting from the desktop version and features the Search options and development is ongoing. Future versions will include zoom options, alternate displays, anagram count, probability, playability, score, and sorting options, etc. In other phases of development the slideshow and card quiz features of the program may be added.

Hoot desktop companion

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This app is a companion to the desktop program Hoot Lite. Using the desktop version you can create databases that can be used in the Android app. Lexicons are available for download from the website www.tylerhosting.com/hoot/downloads.html, including ENABLE (early Words with Friends) and ODS5 (French). The desktop version also lets you create your own lexicon from a plain word list.