How to Play Shabd Bazaar
Bid for letters, build words, outsmart rivals in the letter auction.
Shabd Bazaar is a word game with a mandi twist. Instead of being dealt letters, you buy them. Eight letters go up for auction one by one on a four-second clock, and you bid against three bots like Sharmaji and Pinky from a budget of 100. Whoever leads when the clock ends pays and takes the letter. After the eighth, everyone builds a word, and the score blends word length with leftover budget.
It rewards restraint as much as vocabulary. Vowels open at premium prices because they are scarce, the ask drops while nobody bids, and each bid bumps it by 4. Everyone also starts with two secret letters, a vowel and a common consonant. The winner takes an 80-coin pot from a 20-coin entry, and the results screen roasts whoever wasted the most budget.
Controls
- Tap Bid during an auction to take the lead at the current ask; it reads Leading while you hold the top bid.
- In the build phase, tap tiles to add letters, tap a letter in the word to remove it.
- Tap Submit Word when the preview shows a valid word, or submit nothing for budget-only points.
- Peek reveals the bots' secret starters once per match after a short ad.
How to play, step by step
- Tap Enter Bazaar. Entry is 20 coins for an 80-coin pot; with no coins you play a friendly match for 20.
- Note your two secret starter tiles on the rack.
- Letter 1 of 8 appears with its base ask, 16 for A down to 5 for Z, ticking down while nobody bids.
- Bid when the price suits. Each bid raises the ask by 4; the letter goes to the leader when 4 seconds expire.
- After eight letters, build the best valid word you can within 25 seconds and compare scores.
Rules and scoring
- Score equals (budget left plus 20) times (1 plus 0.25 per letter), rounded. A 4-letter word with 60 left scores 160; no word scores budget plus 20.
- Words need 3 or more letters and must be in the built-in dictionary. Secret starters count.
- You cannot bid above your budget or outbid yourself. The bag holds 2 or 3 vowels, capped duplicates, and sometimes one J, X, Q or Z trap.
- Highest score takes the whole pot. Daily mission: submit a 5-plus letter word once a day for 40 coins.
Tips to score higher
- Every leftover coin scores. A 3-letter word with 70 budget (158) beats a 6-letter word with 10 budget (75).
- Plan around your secret vowel. If you hold an E, skip expensive auction vowels and buy cheap consonants.
- Let the ask fall. Bots bid on their own timers, and a first bid near half price often still wins.
- Bid once, late, rather than in a war; each counter adds 4 and wars end in overpaying.
- S, R, T, N and L plus a vowel almost guarantee a 3-letter word.
- Ignore the spicy letter unless you already hold a matching vowel; whoever buys it usually gets roasted.
Modes and challenges
- Standard bazaar: 20-coin entry, 80-coin pot, you versus three bots with random personalities.
- Friendly match: automatic under 20 coins, no entry, 20 coins for a win.
- Ad rematch with a 175 budget, plus the daily mission and a shareable Bazaar Roast card.
Frequently asked questions
What if I cannot make a word?
You still score budget plus 20. A player who bought little can beat one who overspent on a short word.
Do I need to buy a vowel?
Not always. Everyone starts with a secret vowel and consonant, so a few cheap consonants can be enough.
How long is each auction?
Four seconds per letter. The ask falls while nobody bids and jumps by 4 per bid, so most letters change hands in the last second.
Who wins?
The highest computed score takes the pot. The results card ranks all four players and names the biggest blunder.