Typo

About this board game

Typo is a word-building card game for 2–6 players, with games lasting about 30 minutes. Players are dealt 12 cards from an alphabetic deck and use them to create words—or the beginnings of words—on the table.

Each round, everyone chooses a card simultaneously. Once the cards are revealed, they are played in alphabetical order, from the lowest letter to the highest. Players add their cards to rows or columns, calling out the word or partial word they are forming as they go.

For example, adding an E to the start of LAST creates ELAST, allowing the player to call “elastic.” The growing lines on the table provide the framework for future plays, while every card must eventually be placed.

• Deal 12 alphabetic cards to each player.
• Choose cards simultaneously and reveal them together.
• Play the revealed cards from the lowest letter in the alphabet to the highest.
• Add cards to rows or columns while calling the word or word start being formed.

If a player cannot form a valid word to call, the consequence depends on the edition. In the first Cwali edition, that player picks up the longest line of cards, which scores against them; in following rounds, play order changes from Z to A.

In the second edition, the player instead picks up half the number of cards in the longest line and adds those cards to their hand. The rules are provided in English, German, French, and Dutch.

Released in 2004, Typo features a strong graphic design styled after an old typewriter font. Its presentation reflects the game’s letter-focused concept, with a typewriter described as an early form of word processor.