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

In a variation of this game, you can give another person the seed word and a final word and challenge the person to find the transitional words in between the seed and final word. The challenge can be relatively simple, with only two or three intermediate words, or it can be quite challenging with several intermediate words. Remember, too, that there could be more than one set of intermediate words connecting the seed word and the final word.

To play, have each player agree on the same number of intermediate words (one, two, three, etc.) and then use one of the strings below or your own string to pick out a seed word and final word. For example, in the string beginning with YES below, if  you wanted two intermedeiate words, you might use TOTE as the seed word and VOLE as the final word. The other player would have to come up with ROTE and VOTE to get to VOLE.

Sample Sequences:
PROWL, GROWL, GROWN
PLOT, PLAT, PLATE, PRATE, PIRATE
YES, YEW, FEW, SEW, SET, SOT, TOT, TOTE, ROTE, VOTE, VOLE, VALE, SALE, MALE, MALL, MILL, MILE, SMILE, SIMILE
BLOW, BLEW, BREW, CREW, CROW, CROWN, BROWN, BRAWN, PRAWN, DRAWN, DROWN
JOB, ROB, RIB, CRIB, CRAB, DRAB, DRAM, DRAMA
YET, GET, GOT, GOAT, MOAT, BOAT, BOAR, SOAR, SOLAR, SONAR
LAB, CAB, SCAB, SCAR, SCARF, SCARE, SCORE, SCORN, ACORN
JAB, JAW, SAW, SOW, COW, COWL, BOWL, BOIL, BROIL
WAN, WON, WIN, WINE, WIND,WINDY, WINDS, BINDS, FINDS, MINDS, MINES, MANES, MARES, MIRES, MORES, SORES, SIRES
TOE, HOE, HOP, TOP, STOP, SLOP, SLAP, SLIP, SLID, SLIM, SLIME
HAVE, HARE, BARE, BANE, LANE, LINE, MINE, MANE, SANE, SINE, FINE, TINE, TINT, LINT, HINT
HONEY, MONEY,  BONEY, BONES, HONES, TONES, TONER, TOPER, ROPER, RIPER, RISER
FOLLY, JOLLY, HOLLY, HILLY, LILLY

Word Challenge 2: Word Flipping

Try changing the beginning word to a word that means the opposite:
SOUR, SOAR, SEAR, SWEAR, SWEAT, SWEET
HOT, COT, COLT, COLD
PIE, PIKE, BIKE, BAKE, CAKE
RYE, ROE, ROT, GOT, GET, MET, MEAT, HEAT, WHEAT
SANE, CANE, CRANE, CRAZE, CRAZY
BAD, SAD, SOD, GOD, GOOD
BEEF, BEER, BEAR, FEAR, FEAT, FIAT, FIST, FISH
CAT, BAT, BET, GET, GOT, DOT, DOG

Word Challenge 3: Longest Word, Fewest Transforms

See who can form the longest word with the fewest number of changes. For this challenge, all endings are permitted:
BIT, BITE, BITER, BITTER, BUTTER, BUTTERY
CAT, COT, CLOT, CLOP, CLAP, CLAMP, CRAMP, CRIMP, CRIME, CRIMEA
PAL, PALE, PILE, PILER, MILER, SMILER
TO, TOE. TORE. STORE, SNORE, SNORER
SO, SOT, SCOT, SLOT, SLOP, SLOPE, ELOPE, ELOPER, ELOPERS