How to Play

Letter Jam

2-6 players 45-45 min 7.1 Board Game Geek Rating

Players cooperatively discover their own hidden letters by spelling words using others' visible cards. Each round, someone creates clues by numbering players whose letters form a word. Recipients guess their letters and advance through their secret sequence. Victory depends on how many players successfully arrange their revealed letters into valid words by game's end.

Published 2019

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Arrange seating

Players sit so each person can see five letter stands when the game is set up

Select preparation card

Choose the card matching your player count and place it in the center of the table

Place clue tokens

Put red and green clue tokens on the marked spaces of the preparation card

Shuffle letter cards

Mix all 64 letter cards thoroughly

Distribute cards for word creation

Divide the deck approximately equally among all players

Create secret words

Each player forms a 5-letter word from their portion of cards, discarding the rest face-down

Shuffle and pass words

Each player shuffles their created word and passes it to the player on their right

Form central deck

Combine all discarded cards into one shuffled deck placed in the center

Receive secret word

Take the shuffled word from the player on your left without looking at the letters

Arrange your letters

Place your received cards in a face-down row in front of you

Set up your stand

Put the leftmost letter card in your stand facing outward so everyone except you can see it

Take player materials

Each player receives a pencil and a guessing sheet

Fold guessing sheet

Fold your sheet in half to create a screen hiding your notes from other players

Set up non-player stands

If fewer than 6 players, unused stands receive one green clue token each

Add card stacks to non-player stands

Place face-down card stacks on non-player stands (quantity shown on preparation card), then reveal the top card in each stand

Place central items

Put numbered tokens, the preparation card, and joker card in the middle of the table

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Study visible letters

Look at the one letter displayed in each stand except your own at the start of each round

Find a clue word

Search for a word you can spell using visible letters; the same letter card may represent repeated letters in your word

Discuss clue potential

Share how many letters your clue contains, how many players it helps, how many non-player stands it uses, and whether it uses the joker

Follow communication rules

Never reveal which specific players are helped, discuss the type of word, mention that players share letters, or comment on letter difficulty

Select clue giver

As a group, choose which player will give the best clue this round

Take a clue token

The clue giver takes a red token for their first clue, or a green token from the leaves if they already have a red token

Spell out the clue

Place numbered tokens in order to mark each letter position in the clue word

Mark diacritics

If a letter requires diacritics, place a diacritic marker next to that numbered token without specifying which diacritic

Use the joker

The joker can represent any single letter; place numbered tokens beside it to show its positions, but never reveal what letter it represents

Record the clue

If your letter was used, write the clue on your guessing sheet using question marks for your unknown letter

Deduce your letter

Write down all possible letters that could fit in your position based on the clue

Decide to advance

If confident about your letter, place it face-down in your row and note your guess on your sheet

Stay on current letter

If uncertain, keep the same letter displayed for the next round

Move your stand

When advancing, shift your stand one space right and place your next letter card in it facing outward

Update non-player stands

If a non-player letter was used in the clue, discard it and reveal the next card from that stack

Unlock bonus clues

When a non-player stack empties, place its revealed green token on a preparation card leaf

Draw from central deck

Empty non-player stands draw new cards from the central deck

Earn team bonus

When all red tokens are taken (everyone has given at least one clue), the center flower's green token becomes available

Handle three players

Take red tokens for your first two clues before using green tokens

Handle two players

Take red tokens for your first three clues before using green tokens

Draw bonus letters

When you flip your last letter card, draw a new one from the central deck and place your stand in front of your row

Guess bonus letters

When someone uses your bonus letter in a clue, guess it aloud then check; if correct, place it beside the joker as a team resource

Use bonus letters in clues

Bonus letters function like non-player stand letters and are discarded after being used in a clue

Winning

How to claim victory.

Trigger game end

The game ends when no clue tokens remain for the next round, or when all players agree they need no more clues

Review your guesses

Examine your guessing sheet to find a word that can be formed from your guessed letters

Rearrange your cards

Keep cards face-down while reordering them to match your intended word

Substitute with bonus letters

Replace any of your letter cards with available bonus letters or the joker by placing them face-up on top

Extend your word

Use bonus letters or joker to create a longer word than your original for extra points

Reveal words in order

Players reveal their words one at a time, starting with those least confident in their answers

Accept alternate words

You may form any valid Romanian word, not necessarily the one you were given

Share victory

If most players successfully form words, everyone wins together

Calculate optional score

Incorrect words earn 1 point per correctly guessed initial letter; correct words earn 3 points times word length, plus 1 point per extra letter, plus 1 point per remaining green token

Rate your victory

Compare total score to the preparation card back: 16-31 is edible, 32-47 is tasty, 48-63 is good, 64-79 is delicious, 80+ is super sweet