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WildWords Practice & Internet Version Download for Windows and Macs

My Email: roizen at ix.netcom dot com
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Roizen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T/Maker

Updates:
Date
 Number
 Description / Issue
4/1/2021
 3.05
 First Version out of Beta
1/29/2022
 3.06
 Merriam Webster dramatically revised the syntax of their web pages.
WW's Lookup function for resolving challenges was changed to parse their new approach.
It appears MW has again changed the syntax of pages killing the Lookup function for their dictionary.
2/2/2025
 3.07
 WW's Lookup button for resolving challenges was removed.
All dictionaries have and probably will again change their protocols.
The pages are meant to be read by humans not parsed by algorithms!
You can use the Show Pages buttom to see the pages, read them, and decide if all conditions for a WildWords "word" are met: not capitalized, not an abbreviation, no hyphen, not a purely foreign word.

Feedback on any problems would be welcome.

WildWords.jar (the program itself) is a very small file (75,000 bytes) and can be easily downloaded in a flash. By writing it in java, the program can be run on a Windows machine, a Mac, and a machine running the Linux operating system. That represents an incredible saving of development time for me and provides a similar look across the different environments. To run WildWords and similar java programs on these machines, the JAR file requires something called the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) which is different for each of the three situations. You may already have it. You can start by downloading the jar file and running it to see if that is the case.

THE WILDWORDS DOWNLOAD:

WildWords is NOT a browser plug-in. Enabling java in your browser is not required. WildWords is a desktop application with no abilities beyond communicating with another copy of itself to exchange information on the status of the game and browsing some well-established dictionary pages. The game connection is made directly between you and your opponent. There is no third party involved to spy, pester, advertise, or self-update.

You can practice on your own and play others who use your router without requiring an internet connection at all.

WildWords downloads in a few seconds which makes changing your version easy as well. Just remember to delete the old one first. This is version 3.07 updated on 2/2/2025. It's a good idea to make sure that both players are playing with the latest and the same version.

http://www.wildwords.us/WildWords.jar

Know where you put the file and make a shortcut to it in Windows or the equivalent, if possible, on a Mac. It will be in your Finder, of course.

Perhaps you have a suitable version of Java 8 or later which will work. The first thing is to try to run WildWords.jar. If it does not open correctly, you will need to continue reading below and download something called the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for offline desktop applications.

You don't  want or need something called the full Java Development Kit (JDK) unless you are developing java programs yourself. Version 8 of the JRE appears to be recommended in most cases.

You can download it for your machine at the link below. You want the OFFLINE version.

https://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Follow the instructions given after the download.

If the above link has disappeared you can try a Google search with the phrase below and see if something similar turns up. You could also clarify the machine you have.

"java jre downloads for all operating systems"

When the JRE is installed you should be able to click or double click the WildWords.jar file and run it.