Overview
Each board is built from a fixed set of letter dice rather than random letters, so letter frequencies follow the game. `size` 4 uses 16 dice and `size` 5 uses a separate 25-die set; any other value returns a 400. The dice are shuffled into grid positions with a Fisher-Yates shuffle, then one of each die's six faces is picked at random. A Q face is written as `Qu`, so a cell can hold two characters.
`board` is an array of rows, each an array of cell strings, read left to right and top to bottom. `size` echoes the grid dimension. Boards are not seeded or stored, so the same board cannot be requested again; save the array if a round needs to be replayed or shared.
`html` is a complete HTML document containing a bordered table with inline styles, larger cells on the 4x4 grid than the 5x5, and single quotes in place of double quotes so the string embeds cleanly in JSON or an attribute.
The image is produced only when `image=true` is sent on a paid plan. The board is drawn as a PNG on a light beige background and uploaded to storage, and `image` returns `imageName`, `format`, a `downloadURL` and `expires`, set one day after the request and given as a millisecond timestamp. If rendering fails the board is still returned and the `image` field is omitted. On the Free plan `html` is null and the `image` parameter is ignored.
Live Test Generate Boggle Boards Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the next are its inputs, and the field after them says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("boggleboardgenerator", "board")=VERVE.CALL("boggleboardgenerator", "board")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below, followed by the field. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after that — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
sizeOptional | integer | "size", value | Board size45default 4 |
imageOptionalPremium | boolean | "image", value | Set to true to generate a downloadable board image |
Passing an option
=VERVE("boggleboardgenerator", "board", "size", 4)=VERVE.CALL("boggleboardgenerator", "board", "size", 4)What lands in your sheet
The field — the argument after the inputs — is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Leave the field out and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("boggleboardgenerator")=VERVE.CALL("boggleboardgenerator")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the field argument accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as the field | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
board | array | list of lists | 2D array of letters representing Boggle board grid |
size | number | 4 | Board dimension size (4 or 5 representing grid rows/columns) |
htmlPremium | string | <html><head><title>Boggle Board</title><style>table {border-collapse: collapse; width: 320px; height… | Formatted HTML table representation of the Boggle board |
image | object | {…} | |
image.imageNamePremium | string | e91f26a6-95fc-47c1-9117-b0bb169c3418_boggle.png | Generated image filename with UUID and format extension |
image.formatPremium | string | .png | Image file format type for the generated Boggle board |
image.downloadURLPremium | string | https://storage.googleapis.com/apiverve/APIData/boggleboardgenerator/e91f26a6-95fc-47c1-9117-b0bb169… | Direct download URL for the generated Boggle board image |
image.expiresPremium | number | 1766010033049 | Unix timestamp when the generated image URL expires |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in boggleboardgenerator | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The field path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Game Development
- Create Boggle games with randomly generated boards and authentic dice distributions
- Educational Apps
- Generate word-finding puzzles for vocabulary building and language learning
- Printable Games
- Create printable Boggle boards for offline play and classroom activities
- Gaming Platforms
- Integrate Boggle board generation into word game applications and platforms
Other ways to use Generate Boggle Boards
Set up Generate Boggle Boards on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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