The January 24, 2026 Quartiles puzzle had a fun surprise: we spotted a perfectly valid 5-tile word that didn't get scored. While hunting for that elusive perfect combination, we found "whale-watching"—and it turns out the game didn't count it!

The Missing Word

whale-watching - wha + le + wat + ch + ing
The activity of observing whales in their natural habitat, a popular ecotourism activity enjoyed by millions worldwide.

This is a well-established compound word that's common in everyday usage. It combines five tiles perfectly, but when players submitted it—nothing happened. No points, no acknowledgment, nada.

The Scoring Question

Here's where it gets interesting: in Quartiles, 4-tile words (which give the game its name) are worth 8 points. So naturally, we have to wonder—should a 5-tile word be worth 16 points? That would follow the doubling pattern, and it would certainly make finding these rare gems even more exciting!

5-tile words are already pretty special—they're rare, fun to spot, and genuinely satisfying when you nail one. Unlike shorter words where you have plenty of options to choose from, 5-tile combinations don't come around very often. When you find one, you want that moment of victory!

We Want to Hear From You

So here's the fun question for the Quartiles community: How do you think Quartiles should score a 5-tile word? Should it follow the doubling pattern and be worth 16 points? Or should it have its own unique scoring system?

And while we're at it—have you noticed any other 5-tile words in past puzzles that either worked or didn't work? We'd love to hear about your whale-watching moments (pun intended) where you found something special!

Want to see all the answers for this puzzle? Check out the complete solution for January 24, 2026.