How to Play Radical Rush

Radical Rush is a timed vocabulary matching game. Read the source-language term in the center of the board, find its translation among the surrounding target-language tiles, and keep answering correctly before the clock runs out.

Live Example
English to German ยท Round 1 of 4
Score 0 03:00
Buch
Wasser
Stadt
Hund
Katze
Baum
Schule
Brot
Zeit
Hand
Haus
Nacht
House Find the German translation
Combo x0

Find the German translation for House.

The Core Loop
  1. 1

    Read the prompt

    The source term appears in the open space at the center of the board.

  2. 2

    Find the translation

    Scan the surrounding tiles for the matching term in your target language.

  3. 3

    Choose quickly and accurately

    A correct tile awards points and immediately deals the next round. A wrong tile costs 10 seconds and resets your combo.

  4. 4

    Protect the clock

    Keep the streak alive to earn bonus time and continue scoring until the timer reaches zero.

Set Up Your Game

Choose From and To

English supplies the center prompt. Choose Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, or German for the answer tiles.

Choose a Vocabulary Track

Language Learner mode uses HSK 1 through HSK 7-9 for Simplified Chinese, TOCFL Novice 1, Novice 2, and Levels 1 through 5 for Traditional Chinese, JLPT N5 through JLPT N1 for Japanese, and CEFR A1 through CEFR C2 for German.

Choose a Difficulty

Learner tracks are ordered from easiest to hardest. Native mode offers Native 1 through Native 10 based on word frequency, from common vocabulary to rarer terms.

Vocabulary Guides

Explore every learner and Native level, then open a ready-to-play preset for the language you are studying.

Scoring, Combos, and Time
Difficulty Rewards

Harder vocabulary earns more. Language Learner levels scale from 1 to 10 base points. Native 1 starts at 15 points and each level adds 5 points, reaching 60 points at Native 10.

Combo Time

Consecutive correct answers build your combo. Combo 5 adds 3 seconds, Combo 12 adds 5 seconds, Combo 20 adds 7 seconds, and every 10 correct answers from Combo 30 through Combo 100 adds 10 seconds.

Mistakes Cost Time

Every wrong answer removes 10 seconds and resets the combo to zero. Fast guessing can therefore end a run sooner than careful recognition.

Lifelines

Every combo time-bonus milestone also awards one random lifeline. Lifelines fill the lowest empty slot, duplicates are possible, and you can hold up to nine at once. If every slot is full, you still receive the bonus time.

Your Lifeline Slots

Tap an active lifeline, or press its numbered slot from 1 to 9 on desktop. Passive lifelines activate automatically.

1
3
4
Active
50/50

Removes half of the remaining distractor tiles, leaving the correct answer on the board.

Passive
Second Chance

Your first wrong selection is removed without a time penalty or combo reset, giving you one more attempt. Only one can trigger per puzzle.

Active
Radar

Briefly highlights the row or column containing the correct answer, choosing the direction with the most visible options.

Active
Reroll

Replaces the current puzzle without awarding points. The rerolled puzzle stays in your review but does not affect correct answers, incorrect answers, accuracy, score, or combo.

Choose Your Challenge
Standard

Play on a 4x4 board with 12 answers and three minutes on the clock. Standard mode uses the normal score for your selected vocabulary level.

Rampage

Expand the board to 6x6 with 32 answers and multiply every score award by 2.

Berserk

Start with only 90 seconds and multiply every score award by 2.5. Rampage and Berserk can be combined for a 6x6, 90-second run with a 5x score multiplier.

After the Clock Runs Out

The game review shows your final score, correct and incorrect rounds, answer times, combo seconds, every board, and available readings and translations. Guest games are shareable. Sign in to save games to My Games and record personal bests.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers about playing Radical Rush and using it as part of your vocabulary practice.