Do Dot Hot Word Game

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In the Do Dot Hot word game, a short seed word is chosen and players connect new words to it and to the played words by either adding a letter or changing a letter. The name of the game exemplifies this. The seed word DO is changed to DOT by adding a letter. The played word DOT is changed to HOT by changing a letter. Below is an example of part of a game.

ICE	DICE		SITE
	RICE	RITE	BITE	KITE
	MICE		BATE
	LICE		FATE	MATE
	LACE	LACK	LARK	DARK	PARK	PACK	RACK	RACE	FACE
	PACE				PART				FARE
	PACT				PANT	PLANT	PLANET		CARE
	FACT				RANT				CARET

The seed word ICE is put in the upper left hand cell of the grid. Words formed by adding or changing letters are placed next to the seed or played word, either below it, or to the right or left.

In the game grid above, you can see that the seed word ICE was changed to DICE by adding a D, and then DICE was changed to several other words by changing a letter (RICE, MICE, etc.).

The (New) Rules for DO DOT HOT

1. Each player receives one point for each word added, whether by adding or changing a letter.
2. Players take turns adding a word to the grid. (Players can make scoring easier by using different color pens.)
3. Only one letter can be changed or added at a time. (DATE to MATE but not DATE to VALE.) A player cannot both add a letter and change a letter to make a new word.
4. Letters cannot be rearranged in the new word. (PINK to PINE but not PINK to PIKE or PLANT to PLATE.)
5. Slang spellings are not allowed (NITE, TITE, THRU.)
6. A standard desk dictionary or online dictionary should be named as the authority before the game begins.
7. Pluralizing (adding an S, as in POT, POTS) or past tensing (adding a D, as in CITE, CITED) to get a new word is not permitted, unless players agree in advance by declaring “Plurals and Past.”
8. A word already on the playing grid cannot be used again in a later transformation. For example, in the grid above, the player adding words under PARK in column 6 would not be able to add PACT after PART or PANT because (assuming) an earlier player had added PACT in column 2.
9. The new word must be added in a grid space next to the word it is transforming. If there is no free grid space, there is no play. A player is permitted to change direction on the grid to use free space as long as the newly played word is still next to the seed word.Thus, the player adding on to BITE in column 4 did not have room to add MATE under FATE because another player had used the cell below, so MATE was added to the right in column 6.
10. Each player must add a new word by changing the word just added by the previous player. If the player cannot think of a suitable word, he or she must pass. When none of the players can add a word, the game is over and the player with the highest number of points wins.
11. The seed word can be placed anywhere on the grid. Upper left or the center of the grid are two good locations.

Tips and Hints

1. To make scoring easy, have each player use a different color of pen or pencil. If you play on a PC, use a different font or different color type or different highlight color or shading.
2. Use the Playing Grid and Score Sheet available here in pdf format. (Requires Acrobat Reader or other pdf viewing application.)
3. Start with a short seed word. Examples: DO, SO, ANT, FIT, PEN, MAN, POT, TIP, TON, RED, END, BAT. To standardize play, use, in order for the first seven games, the seven coordinating conjunctions: FOR, AND, NOR, BUT, OR, YET, SO. Remember them by FANBOYS.

Another Example

Here is another brief example of a DO DOT HOT grid. Why not continue the game for practice?

DO
DOT	HOT	POT	COT	SOT	GOT	GET	LET	LENT	BENT
	HAT			SIT		BET		RENT
	HATE			SITE		BAT		RANT
	FATE			SATE		BAN		PANT
	PATE					BAND		PAINT
	LATE							PLAINT
	MATE					VOLT
	MITE					BOLT
	BITE	BILE	MILE	MOLE	DOLE	DOLT	MOLT

 

Word Challenge 1: Target Word