Hoot for Collins

Dana Bell

About this game

Note: Hoot is a separate app that contains the NWL18 lexicon as well.

If you are struggling in your games on Words with Friends or Scrabble, a little study will go a long way. Whether you are a beginner or expert, serious or casual, Hoot for Collins can help. You can also use search functions to review games for possible plays based on your rack and available tiles.

Features
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• Free unlimited version with no ads
• More than a dozen search options
• Easy to select search parameters (length, begins, ends)
• Wildcards (blank tiles) and pattern searches available
• Immediate results for most searches
• Alternate Power Search accepting up to 8 criteria
• Results show word, hooks, inner hooks, score
• Word definitions (click)
• Nine context searches of word in results (long click)
• Slides and Quiz Review
• Quiz for List Recall, Anagrams, Hook Words and Blank Anagrams
• Leitner style card box quizzes
• Word Judge
• Time Clock
• Tile Tracker
• Can install on SD Card
• Supports multiple window (split screen) on supporting devices
• Optional Dark Theme

Hoot for Collins is a study tool for players of word games like Scrabble and Words with Friends. While Hoot can show anagrams for a set of letters, Hoot is much, much more than an anagram tool.

Hoot has multiple search options (see below), and the entry screen lets you enter multiple parameters to consider including the number of letters, beginnings, and endings. You can specify sort order with two specifications (sort by, then by). Results are displayed in common format showing hooks and inner hooks with score in the margin. You can optionally show probability and playability rankings, and number of anagrams.
Look up the definitions of words by clicking on the word in the results. Both words and definitions are local, so Internet isn't required.

Use wildcards (?, *) in many searches, and pattern searching is available using a modified regular expression engine. See www.tylerhosting.com/hoot/help/pattern.html

With each list of results, Hoot includes a context menu to let you expand your search based on a word in the results. Long clicking on that word lets you search using one of several different options, or save words to a card box.

Results can also be used to show Slides, begin quizzes, or review for anagrams, hook words, or blank anagrams. To support a more extensive word study plan, results can also be added to Leitner style card boxes. Card box quizzes can be filtered. Furthermore, card box quizzes can optionally be taken using a flashcard mode.

In addition to the search options you can use the app as an adjudication tool to handle word challenges in club play and tournaments according to NASPA rules. Enter multiple words and the app will tell if the play is acceptable without identifying which words are valid.

Lexicons
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Hoot for Collins uses Collins Official Scrabble Words (CSW19 and CSW22) for WESPA games. The companion app Hoot includes both NWL and CSW lexicons.

Search Options
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• Anagram
• Letter Count (Length)
• Hook Words
• Pattern
• Contains
• Word Builder
• Contains All
• Contains Any
• Begins With
• Ends With
• Sub-words
• Parallel
• Joins
• Stems
• Predefined (Vowel Heavy, Q not U, High Fives, etc.)
• Subject Lists
• Takes Prefix
• Takes Suffix
• Alt Ending
• Replace
• From File

Hoot desktop companion
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This app is a companion to the desktop program Hoot Lite. Hoot Lite can also be used to modify databases for use in the Android version. Importable lexicons and Databases are available for download from the website www.tylerhosting.com/hoot/downloads.html. The desktop version also lets you create your own lexicon from a plain text word list, add definitions, and create subject lists.

What's new

Fix Options menu in other activities
Pause slides when switching away from Hoot
Enable Import Lexicon with SAF
Fix savelist with SAF (short list)
Rearrange Options menu, tools
Enable find file, save file in Android 11+ via scoped storage
Fix resources