Plate-like tungsten carbide powders have been prepared from oxides by molten salt synthesis at temperatures higher than 1200 degrees C for 2 h. The phase evolution of the reaction products and the growth mechanism of WC platelets are investigated. It was found that the phase evolution, with the presence of sodium chloride as a solvent, was quite different from the traditional carbothermal reduction process. Sodium tungsten bronzes, M chi WO3, were generated as intermediate phases with a variable value of chi. The formation of platelets with a high aspect ratio has been discussed based on the effect of molten salt. Besides, the size distribution of the as-prepared powder showed a bimodal pattern, which is explained with the 2-Dimension nucleation of angular grains. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.