How WordMarket Works
Bet on the words that will dominate the news. Win WordCoins.
Welcome — You're Part of the Testing Phase
WordMarket is currently in its early testing phase, and you've been invited to help try it out. Thanks for being here!
You've been given a starting balance of 1,000 WordCoins (WC) — this is play money, not real currency. Use it to explore the markets, place bets, and get a feel for how everything works.
The goal is simple: have fun, test things out, and help us learn what works and what doesn't. Don't worry about making mistakes — that's exactly what this phase is for.
Pick a Market
Each week, WordMarket runs prediction markets across categories like Politics, Tech, and Culture. Each market contains 6 words competing to be the most talked-about word in the news that week.
Markets open on staggered days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) so there's always something active.
Place Your Bet
Using your WordCoin balance, pick the word you think will trend highest, choose how much to stake, and place your bet.
You can bet on multiple words in the same market, and you can place multiple bets at different times — as long as betting is still open.
The Betting Window
Each market has a 3-day betting window followed by a 4-day watching period. Once betting closes, no more bets can be placed. This is when your final odds are locked in.
Understanding the Odds
WordMarket uses a parimutuel model. All bets go into a single pool, and winners split the pool proportionally. There is no house taking the other side — the pool is always self-balancing.
The multiplier (e.g. 5.0x) shows your potential return based on the current pool. Multipliers are live and shift as more bets come in — the more people back a word, the lower the payout. Your final payout is determined when betting closes and all bets are locked in.
Example
Total pool: 500 WC
Staked on “tariff”: 100 WC
Multiplier: 500 / 100 = 5.0x
If you bet 50 WC on “tariff” and its final multiplier is 5.0x, you'd get 250 WC back (including your original 50 WC stake).
Important
Multipliers change with every new bet. You won't know your exact payout until betting closes. Everyone who bet on the winning word shares the same final pool — proportional to their stake.
After You Bet
Once you place a bet, the platform shows your potential payout as a WordCoin amount instead of just the multiplier — so you can see exactly what you stand to win as odds shift.
Watch the Race
Once betting closes, the Race Tracker activates. It shows real-time data on how each word is trending across major news sources including The Guardian and GDELT.
You'll see live rankings, trend scores, and movement arrows showing which words are rising or falling. You'll also get notifications for major events like lead changes and trend spikes.
Resolution & Payouts
At the end of the week, the market resolves. The word with the highest composite score across news sources wins. The entire pool is distributed to everyone who bet on the winning word, proportional to their stake.
Payout Formula
your_payout = (your_stake / winning_word_pool) × total_pool
The platform takes no cut. The entire pool goes to the winners.
If nobody bet on the winning word, all bets are refunded — nobody wins, nobody loses.
Tips & Strategy
- •Contrarian picks pay more. Words with fewer bets have higher multipliers. If you spot a sleeper word, you could earn a huge return.
- •Hedge your bets. You can bet on multiple words in the same market. Spreading your stake reduces risk but also reduces your potential multiplier.
- •Watch the news. WordMarket rewards paying attention to current events. If you see a story gaining traction, that word might be the winner.