Sky Words Bonus Words Guide - Find Every Hidden Word

By Sam Carter, Senior Editor

Bonus words are one of the most rewarding parts of Sky Words. They are valid English words that you can form from the available letters on the wheel but are not required to complete the level. Finding them earns you coins, and hunting for them adds a satisfying layer of challenge to every puzzle.

What Are Bonus Words?

Every Sky Words level has a set of required words that fill the crossword grid. These are the words you must find to complete the level and move on. However, the letters on the wheel can usually form additional words beyond what the grid requires. These extra words are called bonus words.

When you swipe a valid bonus word, the game acknowledges it with a small animation and adds coins to your balance. The word does not appear on the crossword grid since there is no space reserved for it. Instead, it gets added to a bonus word counter that tracks how many extra words you have found across the entire game.

How Bonus Words Differ from Main Words

Main words are the ones that fill the crossword grid. They are specific to each level and are the only words that count toward completing the puzzle. Bonus words, on the other hand, are supplementary. You never need to find bonus words to progress, but they provide a meaningful reward in the form of coins.

The game maintains a master dictionary of accepted bonus words. Not every possible letter combination counts. The word must be recognized by the game as a legitimate English word. Proper nouns, abbreviations, and obscure slang are generally excluded.

Strategies for Finding Bonus Words

The best approach to finding bonus words is systematic. After you have completed the main puzzle, go back to the letter wheel and try every possible combination, starting with two-letter words and working up. Many players overlook very short words like "at," "to," or "in" that are valid bonus words on certain levels.

Another effective method is to look for word families. If you see the letters for "run," check whether "rung," "runt," or "runs" are also possible. Prefixes and suffixes are valuable here. Adding -er, -ed, -ly, or -s to a base word often yields additional bonus words.

Pay attention to less common but valid short words. Words like "ode," "ore," "ire," "ere," and "woe" are frequently overlooked but often available. Similarly, three-letter words that are not part of everyday conversation, such as "ail," "oar," or "rue," tend to be valid bonus words.

Why Bonus Words Matter

Coins are the primary in-game currency. You earn them by completing levels and by finding bonus words. Coins are spent on hints when you get stuck on a difficult level. Since later worlds feature increasingly complex puzzles, building up a reserve of coins through bonus word hunting gives you a cushion for the harder stages.

Beyond the practical coin benefit, bonus words represent a completionist challenge. Many dedicated players aim to find every possible bonus word on each level. It transforms a relaxing word game into a thorough vocabulary exercise and adds significant replay value to levels you have already completed.

Bonus Word Tracking

The game tracks your total bonus word count, and some levels display how many bonus words are available. This counter can help you gauge whether you have found most of the hidden words or whether there are still several left to discover. If the counter shows a high number remaining, try focusing on unusual letter combinations you might have skipped.

Common Bonus Word Patterns

Certain letter combinations tend to yield rich bonus word opportunities. Levels with vowel-heavy letter sets (containing A, E, I, O) are particularly fruitful because English has many short vowel-consonant words. Levels with common consonants like R, S, T, N, and L also tend to have numerous bonus words since these letters combine flexibly with most vowels.