Quartiles Strategy Guide

Master the art of word formation with advanced tips, pattern recognition techniques, and scoring strategies to dominate every puzzle.

Quick Strategy Tips

Start Smart

  • • Look for obvious prefixes (UN-, RE-, IN-)
  • • Identify common suffixes (-ING, -ION, -LY)
  • • Find the longest words first (4-segment targets)
  • • Don't ignore 1-segment words for easy points

Score Maximization

  • • Target words = 10 pts each + 30 bonus for all 5
  • • 3-segment words = 4 pts (great value!)
  • • Find ALL shorter words before giving up
  • • 100+ points unlocks Legend rank

Common Prefixes to Spot

High-Value Prefixes

UN- (undo, unfair, unwise)
RE- (redo, return, remove)
IN-/IM- (inside, import, improve)
PRE- (preview, prepare, prevent)

Common Starters

OUT- (outside, output, outfit)
OVER- (overview, overcome)
UNDER- (understand, underline)
INTER- (internet, interview)

Advanced Patterns

ANTI- (antibody, antisocial)
SUPER- (supermarket, superman)
TRANS- (transport, translate)
EXTRA- (extraordinary, extra)

Essential Suffixes

Action & State Suffixes

-ING (running, jumping, thinking)

Look for verb segments that can take -ING

-TION/-SION (creation, decision)

Often 4-segment target words

-NESS (darkness, sadness, fitness)

Converts adjectives to nouns

-MENT (movement, payment)

Common in business/action words

Descriptive Suffixes

-LY (quickly, slowly, carefully)

Converts adjectives to adverbs

-FUL (careful, helpful, powerful)

Means "full of"

-LESS (careless, hopeless)

Means "without"

-ABLE/-IBLE (readable, possible)

Means "can be done"

🧩 Advanced Pattern Recognition

Word Family Clusters

Look for segments that can form multiple related words:

PLAY family: PLAY, PLAYS, PLAYING, PLAYER, REPLAY
WORK family: WORK, WORKS, WORKING, WORKER, ARTWORK

Double-Duty Segments

Some segments work as both prefixes and standalone words:

OUT:
out, outfit, outside
OVER:
over, overview, overcome
UP:
up, update, upward

Theme Recognition

Daily puzzles often have themes. Recognizing the theme helps predict words:

Kitchen Theme:
Look for: COOK, BAKE, FOOD, KITCHEN, RECIPE, INGREDIENTS
Technology Theme:
Look for: COMPUTER, SOFTWARE, INTERNET, DIGITAL, PROGRAMMING

Advanced Techniques

The "Backward Method"

Start with common endings and work backwards to find the beginning segments.

  1. 1. Spot a suffix like -ING
  2. 2. Look for verb segments that could precede it
  3. 3. Check if RUN + -ING = RUNNING works
  4. 4. Try variations: RUN, RUNS, RUNNER, RERUN

The "Elimination Strategy"

Use uncommon segments first to narrow down possibilities.

  1. 1. Identify the "weird" segments (like XY, QU, PH)
  2. 2. These limit your word options significantly
  3. 3. Build around these constraints first
  4. 4. Common segments can be used in multiple words

Pro Tips for High Scores

1

Always check 1-segment words
Easy points add up quickly

2

Find all 5 targets
30-point bonus is huge

3

3-segment words are goldmines
4 points each, often many available

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Prefix Hunt

Given these segments: UN RE DO ING ABLE

Try to form: UNDO, REDO, DOING, UNDOING, REDOING, UNABLE

Exercise 2: Suffix Building

Given these segments: CARE FUL LESS LY

Try to form: CARE, CAREFUL, CARELESS, CAREFULLY, CARELESSLY

Ready to Apply These Strategies?

Put your new skills to the test with today's puzzle or practice with unlimited levels.

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