A round lasts 90 seconds from the moment you press Start. The board stays hidden until then, and words found when time runs out are sent for scoring.
Press Start to reveal the board and start a 90 second countdown. Find as many words as you can before it ends.
When time runs out the board locks. In the daily round your words are sent to our server for checking and ranking. Practice rounds use the same 90 seconds but are never sent anywhere.
The timer runs in your browser, so the server cannot see how long you took. The leaderboard is for fun, not a security boundary.
See also Can I play more than one board a day. For tips, read the Word Hunt tips and strategy.