Categories is a daily word game available in the Hallow app. The goal is simple: find the hidden theme connecting four tiles, and group all 16 tiles into four categories before you run out of guesses!
How to Play
Categories is a puzzle game where all 16 tiles on the board belong to one of four hidden groups of four. Your job is to find those groups.
Tap up to 4 tiles at a time to select them.
The Submit button becomes active once you've selected exactly 4 tiles.
Tap Submit to guess whether those 4 tiles belong to the same category.
You can't select a 5th tile — the game won't respond if you try.
Actions Available on the Board
Shuffle Tiles — randomly shuffles all tiles on the board to help you see new connections.
Deselect All — clears all currently selected tiles.
"i" button — opens the instructions screen.
X button — exits the game and saves your progress.
Guesses and Misses
You start each game with 4 misses, shown as white dots beneath the Submit button.
Every incorrect guess uses one miss (dots fade from right to left)
If your guess has 3 of the 4 correct tiles, you'll see "One Away!"
If fewer than 3 are correct, you'll see "Not Quite!"
If you repeat a previous guess, it won't count — you'll see "Already Guessed!"
When you guess correctly, the tiles animate to reveal that category 🎉
Winning and Losing
To win: Solve all 4 categories. You win whether you solved them with no misses or after continuing past your 4 misses — as long as you found the answers, it counts as a win!
After using all 4 misses, you'll have two options:
Keep Playing — continue guessing with unlimited guesses.
Reveal Answers — automatically shows the remaining categories from easiest to hardest (yellow → green → blue → red).
Important: Choosing to reveal the answers counts as a loss, even if some categories were already solved.
Difficulty Colors
When answers are revealed, each correct category grouping is color-coded by difficulty:
🟡 Yellow — straightforward
🟢 Green — a little tricky
🔵 Blue — challenging
🔴 Red — most difficult
Sharing Your Results
After completing the game, you can share your results:
After finishing — your results are shared as a grid. We'll display up to 8 guesses plus how many more than 8 you needed. (Example: If you took 10 guesses you'll see the first 8 rows and the text "+2 guesses."
Before finishing — only the puzzle number and a link to play the game will be shared.
Game Streaks
Categories tracks two streak stats:
Current streak — the number of games you've completed in a row (win or loss — just finishing counts!).
Max streak — your longest completed streak ever.
Routines & Display
Categories can be added to your Hallow routine:
If you start the game 2 days in a row, or 3 times within a week, it will automatically be added to your routine. You can remove it from your routine if you'd like.
If you've played Categories within the last 7 days, it'll move to the front of the home carousel.
Once you complete a game, it moves to the end of the games carousel on your home screen until a new day's puzzle is available.
Categories: Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Categories game available to everyone?
The Categories game is available to users on the English version of the app. You do not need a subscription to play the game.
Is there a new puzzle every day?
Yes! There is only one category puzzle per day but it updates each day.
Can I play Categories on the web and on my phone?
Yes! Categories is available on all versions of the Hallow app, including iOS, Android, and web.
Does the game save if I close out?
Yep — tapping the X button saves your progress so you can pick back up where you left off.
What counts as completing a Categories game for my game streak?
Finishing the game counts toward your streak regardless of whether you won or lost.
We’re always here to help when you need it. You can reach out through this purple chat window on the bottom-right corner or e-mail us at support@hallow.app
God bless 🕊️