In 1933, during the period of Great Depression and out of work architect invented a game that brought joy to many Americans. This game was named Scrabble. Even today this game continues to delight most game lovers. This game contains aspects of language and strategy and acing the game is not easy for new players.

I seriously doubt if there is any perfect strategy to play this game.When you watch scrabble as a competitive sport you will begin to notice how every player changes their move on spot. They rapidly change their gears from being highly offensive to highly defensive depending on the game they are playing.

For those of you who have recently started to play this game and want some great strategies, we have compiled a list of tips and tricks that could help you next time when you play this game.

1.Read the instruction manual carefully

Although it is expected to read the instruction manual before you start playing any game, you will be most surprised to learn that many players do not read them.Not reading the instruction manual of this game is an error most newbies make as these manuals contains tips and tricks that could aide you in this game.One of the main tips is to learn as many valid two and three letter words that could be beneficial in this game. There are plenty of websites online that could assist you in this game.

2.Rack Balance

Shuffle the tiles on your rack frequently. You’ll be amazed to see that just by shuffling on an apparently poor looking rack even a bingo may appear as if by magic!Maintaining a ratio of 3:4 of vowels to consonants will provide you with more options to make words regardless of the plays on the board. Once your rack is balanced, try playing this same combination each time to maintain your deck.

3.Challenging the defence player

You must be well aware of the challenging your opponent strategy if you have played poker or any card games. Since scrabble is a word game there could be plentiful opportunity when your opponent might be bluffing you regarding a certain word. When unsure about the word, definitely challenge your opponent. On a brighter note, if the opponent is not bluffing you will end up learning new words.

4.Offence vs Defence

Since scrabble is a word game, you have no way to know what words your defence player has and what edge does it give them. The best you can do is to play this game smartly and limit the opponents chances to win.

5.Use triple word squares wisely

There are 8 triple letter squares spread on the scrabble board. These squares are generally indicated in orange and labeled ‘TW’, short for Triple Word. Making words with good point letters like K, P, F or M and higher point letters such as J, X, Q or Z can help you accelerate the points on your scorecard.When in game mode, be extra careful around these squares.

6.Word extenders

Prefixes and suffixes such as UN-, RE-, –ER and –ED also serve as great word extenders especially when used to extend a word over a double or triple word square!

7. Try to overlap words instead of intersecting them

In the image below, the words Fig and Holed both are overlapping the word Fazed by two letters.In this case, you get points in three words instead of one, so try and overlap words on the board by at least two or three letters. This Scrabble strategy can help you gain points really fast.

8.Using app based dictionaries

Even though dictionaries are not allowed in this game, you could still improve your scrabble strategies by learning new words from several app based dictionaries.

9.Place letters around bonus tiles

When it comes to having an edge in this game,bonus tiles are the key way to increase the number of points you can win.In this game you need to utilize the double/ triple letter and double/triple word spaces in order to play well. Use these spots as it will cut your opponents from scoring more.

10.Magic letters A,E,I,L,N,R,S,T

These are some of the most commonly used letters in the English alphabet. Whenever you are having a tough time coming up with words, these words could help you.

11. Memorizing some two or three letter words

Knowing some words by heart can definitely assist you in a slippery situation to defeat your opponent.

12.Prefix and Suffixes

Common examples for suffixes include S, -ED, -ER, -ING, -LY, -ENT, -IEST, -FUL, -ITY, -NESS, -CY, -AL, -TION, -ITE in addition to prefixes NON-, EX-, TRI-, PRE-, and MIS-. For example, if you add the suffix “ER” to “TRAIN,” you can make the word “TRAINER.”Or if your opponent played the word “MATCH,” you can add the prefix “MIS” to make “MISMATCH” .

13.Using Q

This is probably one of the toughest letter to use as not many words use this letter. Using this letter at the earliest possible opportunity means it gives you a definite edge over your opponents.

14.Save letter J,X or Z for triple points

Apart from the letter Q, another way to get big points on the board is with the letters J, X, and/or Z. Using them in the right spaces means you can rack up double or possibly even triple digit points in a single round.

15.Using parallel wisely

Play them parallel to any word on the board. Get points for every new word you create.

16.Trading your letters

Exchange letters if you’re truly desperate as it forces you to give up your turn.

17.Think long, think Bingo

Plan ahead to play long words. Playing all your tiles is known as “bingo” and earns you bonus points. The most common letters that players save to create a bingo word are “A,” “E,” “I,” “N,” “R,” and “S.”

18.Consonant overload

If you have a lot of these like “myrrh,” “rhythm,” and “tsktsk,” for example, the best strategy for you would be to memorize some of the words from Scrabble words.

In order to be better in any game, one must have the patience and practice it frequently. How to play scrabble like a champion by Joel Wapnick and Learn all the 2 letter scrabble words by Tyler Indiana are the must have books recommended by most beginners in this game. If you love reading you could refer to these books too. Alternatively you could also refer to tutorials on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSXSYwBBTFs. Remember, two letter word can be useful in lot of situations specially if it can get you double or triple bonus! Further Q,X,J and Z words and words with many vowels are also good, so are most longer words.

Words that can help you win the game

Whether you consider winning this game a matter of luck or playing it well due to your familiarization with winning words, here are ten words that could help you win this game.

  • OXYPHENBUTAZONE meaning An anti-inflammatory medication used to treat arthritis and bursitis.
  • QUIZZIFY meaning to quiz or question.
  • OXAZAEPAM meaning an anti-anxiety drug.
  • QUETZALS the national bird of Guatemala
  • QUIXOTRY meaning quixotic idea or action.
  • GHERKINS meaning small pickle, made from an immature cucumber.
  • QUARTZY resembling quartz.
  • MUZJIKS which is a Russian peasant.
  • SYZYGY which is an alignment of three celestial bodies.
  • ZA short term for pizza.

Ten 2 letter vowel words: aa, ai, oe, oy, ye, ae, ay, oi, ya, yo

Longest word with all vowels: EUOUAE (gregorian cadence)

Longest word with all consonants: CRWTHS (Welsh instrument)

Highest possible scoring word: MUZJIKS

Two letter word with no vowels: HM, MM, SH

Best play to clear rack of vowels: OUGUIYA(Currency of Mauritiana)

Highest scoring two letter words: EX, OX, JO,KA, KI,XI, XY,ZA

How to score a Scrabble play

Scrabble is scored by adding the numbers on each letter tile together within the word that is formed on a player’s turn, which includes letters that were played from the player’s rack and letters already on the board.This may sound simple, but once you start playing this game , scoring Scrabble can get a little tricky. So we have documented some quick tips for beginners on how they can score themselves as well as their opponents.

  • Special squares (double letter score, triple letter score, and so forth) only count the first time a letter is played on them.
  • The light blue double letter square doubles the point value for the tile played on it, and the blue triple letter square triples the value for the tile. If a blank tile is played on either of these special squares, it still contributes nothing toward the total word score because a blank tile has a score of zero.
  • The pink double word squares double the entire word value and the red triple word scores triple the entire word value. This remains true even if a blank tile covers the double word score or triple word score square. The pink square in the middle of the board used to start the game is a double word score.
  • Double letter and triple letter squares are counted first to obtain the initial word score, and then any double word score or triple word score squares are counted.
  • A player using all seven letters in their rack gains a bonus 50 points to their score after all other special squares are counted. The 50 bonus points do not count toward double and triple word scores.
  • If two or more words are formed on a single turn, each word is scored individually. This means any special scoring squares are counted for both words.
  • At the end of the game, all tiles in a player’s rack are subtracted from their score and the highest score wins. If two players tie, the person with the fewest points subtracted from their score wins.

Best site to play Scrabble with your friends?

Playing games is one of the best entertaining way to kill your time. While some games are meant to be enjoyed on your own like Angry Birds or Tetris, other games are to be enjoyed in the company of two or more players. Try playing Scrabble online with your friends and family. Before you start playing this game, our advise would be for you to keep in mind that winning in this game is all about correct strategy and having some luck.

The easiest option to play this game is to play Scrabble on Facebook. It comes with two modes: you can play against 1 to 3 friends, or search for a random opponent. For an advanced level of difficulty, switch on the speed limit for each turn.Another popular word game that you can play on Facebook is Scrabble Go. This is an updated version. Load the main page, choose up to 3 other players from the friends list, and start the game - quite straightforward.Finally, you can choose to play Words With Friends – a Scrabble-like vocabulary game on Facebook.

If you’re not a fan of Facebook, you can also give Pogo a try.Before entering the game you’ll need to go through a free registration. Here you can choose one of the 5 difficulty levels and play Scrabble online with your friends, or against a random online opponent.

Our best pick is Internet Scrabble Club which is a proper old school option. The game has a nostalgic feel starting from interface, the chat room, and even the sounds.

When is the game over?

Now, Scrabble is the most popular word game ever developed in 1933 in order to uplift your mood following the Great Depression. The official rules are provided to the players on the company’s website as well as with the game packaging itself.Despite the published rules there seems to be some minor disagreement over how to end this game.

In order to win this game, each one of you would want to score as much as possible. Each player pulls from a pool of 100 random letter tiles, creating words, and aligning them on a grid-like game board. When one player has used all of their tiles and there are no more tiles left to draw, the game ends. Word scores and a player’s total points ultimately determine the winner.

Now interestingly, while the rules surrounding the end of a Scrabble game seem to be universally accepted, the proper method of scoring—which determines the winner of the game—depends on which set of rules you follow. The game manufacturer’s scoring rules (Hasbro) differ from those of the North American Scrabble Players Association, the host of the annual National Scrabble Championship and the world’s leading organization of Scrabble enthusiasts.

According to the North American Scrabble Players Association tournament and club play, the player who ends the game earns double the points on all of the tiles remaining on all of his or her opponents’ racks. The other players subtract nothing from their totals!

Playing scrabble is unique when it is compared to other board games. Regardless of the fact that you win or lose, this game helps in promoting a great sense of satisfaction and confidence therefore boosting the well being of a person.Therefore,accept your losses and your wins graciously.

Happy Scrabbl-ing.