Nōmen is the Latin word for “name”. It is also the Latin word for “noun”. The Romans did not
separate the two ideas: a noun was simply the name of something. English “noun” is the same word, worn down by a few centuries of French.
That felt like the right name for a game where finding nouns is the only thing you do. The odd
spelling is half dictionary entry and half pronunciation guide: the line over the o marks a long
vowel, and the ə is the relaxed vowel you actually say in the second syllable. NOH-mən.
How to play
- The board shows 12 tiles. Each has a letter and a point value, the same values as Scrabble.
- Spell a noun of 3 to 8 letters by tapping tiles or typing. Each tile can be used once per word.
- A valid noun scores the sum of its tiles, the tiles you used are replaced, and the clock resets.
- A wrong guess costs nothing but time.
- When the clock hits zero, the game is over.
The game gets harder as you go. You start with 60 seconds per word. Each time your score passes a target you move up a level, lose 5 seconds, and start seeing more of the awkward letters: J, K, Q,
V, W, X and Z. By level 10 you have 15 seconds a word.
Play now: https://nomen.jstrgames.com