Scrabble

For other uses, seeScrabble (disambiguation).

Scrabbleis aword gamein which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto agame boarddivided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, incrosswordfashion, read left to right in rows or downward in columns and are included in a standarddictionaryorlexicon.

Scrabble

A game ofEnglish-language Scrabblein progress
Manufacturers	Hasbro(within U.S. and Canada) Mattel(outside U.S. and Canada)
Designers	Alfred Mosher Butts
Publishers	James Brunot
Publication	1948(1948)
Genres	Word game Board game
Players	2–4
Setup time	2–4 minutes
Playing time	Tournament game: 50–60 minutes
Chance	Medium (letters drawn)
Skills	Vocabulary,spelling,anagramming,strategy,counting,bluffing,probability
Website	Official website (Hasbro) Official website (Mattel)

American architectAlfred Mosher Buttsinvented the game in 1931.Scrabbleis produced in the United States and Canada byHasbro,under the brands of both of its subsidiaries,Milton BradleyandParker Brothers.Mattelowns the rights to manufactureScrabbleoutside the U.S. and Canada. As of 2008, the game is sold in 121 countries and is available in more than 30 languages; approximately 150 million sets have been sold worldwide, and roughly one-third of American homes and half of British homes have aScrabbleset.There are approximately 4,000Scrabbleclubs around the world.

Equipment

Further information:Scrabble letter distributions

Scrabbleis played on a 15x15 board, containing 225 squares. Certain squares are premium squares, which multiply the number of points awarded: eight dark red "triple word" squares, 17 pale red "double word" squares, of which one, the center square (H8), is marked with a star or other symbol, 12 dark blue "triple letter" squares, and 24 pale blue "double letter" squares. In 2008, Hasbro changed the colors of the premium squares to orange for TW, red for DW, blue for DL, and green for TL, but the original premium square color scheme is still preferred forScrabbleboards used in tournaments.

The name of the game spelled out in game tiles from the English-language version. Each tile is marked with its point value, with a blank tile — the game's equivalent of awild card— played as the word's first letter. The blank tile is worth zero points.

An English-language set contains 100 tiles, 98 of which are marked with a letter and a point value between 1 and 10. Each tile's point value is based on its frequency in English, with vowels and common letters such as L, N, R, S, and T worth 1 point, and rare letters such as Q and Z worth 10 points. The remaining two tiles are blank and carry no value. Other language sets use different letter set distributions with different point values. Tiles are usually made of wood or plastic and are 19 by 19 millimetres (0.75 in × 0.75 in) square and 4 mm (0.16 in) thick, slightly smaller than the squares on the board. Each player uses a rack that conceals their tiles from other players.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

1

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

1

2

2× WS

3× LS

3× LS

2× WS

2

3

2× WS

2× LS

2× LS

2× WS

3

4

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

4

5

2× WS

2× WS

5

6

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

6

7

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

7

8

3× WS

2× LS

2× LS

3× WS

8

9

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

2× LS

9

10

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

3× LS

10

11

2× WS

2× WS

11

12

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

2× WS

2× LS

12

13

2× WS

2× LS

2× LS

2× WS

13

14

2× WS

3× LS

3× LS

2× WS

14

15

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

2× LS

3× WS

15

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

Triple word score Double word score

Triple letter score Double letter score

The official Scrabble board design.

History

Alfred Butts manually tabulated the frequency of letters in words of various length, using examples in a dictionary, theSaturday Evening Post,theNew York Herald Tribune,andThe New York Times.This was used to determine the number and scores of tiles in the game.

In 1931 inPoughkeepsie, New York,the American architectAlfred Mosher Buttscreated the game as a variation on an earlier word game he invented, calledLexiko.The two games had the same set of letter tiles, whose distributions and point values Butts worked out by performing afrequency analysisof letters from various sources, includingThe New York Times.The new game, which he calledCriss-Crosswords,added the 15×15 gameboard and the crossword-style gameplay. He manufactured a few sets himself but was not successful in selling the game to any major game manufacturers of the day.

In 1948, James Brunot,a resident ofNewtown, Connecticut,and one of the few owners of the originalCriss-Crosswordsgame, bought the rights to manufacture the game in exchange for granting Butts a royalty on every unit sold. Although he left most of the game (including the distribution of letters) unchanged, Brunot slightly rearranged the "premium" squares of the board and simplified the rules; he also renamed the gameScrabble,a real word that means "scratch frantically".In 1949, Brunot and his family made sets in a converted former schoolhouse inDodgingtown, Connecticut,a section of Newtown. They made 2,400 sets that year but lost money.

In 1952, unable to meet demand himself, Brunot licensed the manufacturing rights to Long Island-basedSelchow and Righter,one of the manufacturers that, likeParker BrothersandMilton Bradley Company,had previously rejected the game. "It's a nice little game. It will sell well in bookstores," Selchow and Righter presidentHarriet T. Righterremembered saying about Scrabble when she first saw it.In its second year as a Selchow and Righter product, 1954, nearly four million sets were sold.Selchow and Righter then bought the trademark to the game in 1972.

Meanwhile,JW Spearacquired the rights to sell the game in Australia and the UK on January 19, 1955.In 1986, Selchow and Righter was sold toColeco,which soon afterward wentbankrupt.Hasbrothen purchased Coleco's assets in 1989, includingScrabbleandParcheesi.Mattelthen acquired JW Spear in 1994.Since then, Hasbro has owned the rights to manufactureScrabblein the U.S. and Canada, and Mattel has held the rights to manufacture the game in other parts of the world.

Scrabblelogo used by Mattel from 2013 to 2020

Scrabblelogo used by Hasbro in theUnited StatesandCanadauntil 2008

In 1984,Scrabblewas turned into adaytime game showonNBC.TheScrabblegame show ran from July 1984 to March 1990,with a second run from January to June 1993. The show was hosted byChuck Woolery.Its tagline in promotional broadcasts was, "Every man dies; not every man truly Scrabbles."In 2011, a new TV variation ofScrabble,calledScrabble Showdown,aired onThe Hubcable channel, which is a joint venture of Discovery Communications, Inc. and Hasbro.

Scrabblewas inducted into theNational Toy Hall of Famein 2004.

Evolution of the rules

The "box rules" included in each copy of the North American edition have been edited four times: in 1953, 1976, 1989, and 1999.

The major changes in 1953 were as follows.

• It was made clear that:
  • words could be played through single letters already on the board,
  • a player could play a word parallel and immediately adjacent to an existing word provided all crossing words formed were valid,
  • the effect of two premium squares was to be compounded multiplicatively.
• The previously unspecified penalty for having one's play successfully challenged was stated: withdrawal of tiles and loss of turn.

The major changes in 1976 were as follows.

• It was made clear that the blank tile beats an A when drawing to see who goes first.
• A player could pass their turn, doing nothing.
• A loss-of-turn penalty was added for challenging an acceptable play.
• If final scores are tied, the player whose score was highest before adjusting for unplayed tiles is the winner;in tournament play, a tie is counted as half a win for both players.

The editorial changes made in 1989 did not affect gameplay.

The major changes in 1999 were as follows.

• It was made clear that:
  • a tile can be shifted or replaced until the play has been scored,
  • a challenge applies to all the words made in the given play.
• Playing all seven tiles is officially called a "bingo" in North America and a "bonus" elsewhere.
• A change in the wording of the rules could have been interpreted as meaning that a player may form more than one word on one row on a single turn.

Rules

Before the game, a word list or dictionary is selected in order to adjudicate anychallengesduring the game. In tournament play, the word list is specified in advance, typically theNASPA Word List,theOfficial Scrabble Players Dictionary,orCollins Scrabble Words.All 100 tiles are placed into an opaque bag. One player is selected to go first; a commonly used method is for each player to draw one tile from the bag, and whoever draws a letter Alpha betically closest to A goes first (blanks supersede A). Each player then draws seven tiles and places them on their rack, hidden from other players.

A game ofScrabbleinFrench

Gameplay

On every turn, the player at turn can perform one of the following options:

• Pass, forfeiting the turn and scoring zero.
• Exchange one or more tiles for an equal number from the bag, scoring zero. This can only be done if 7 or more tiles remain in the bag.
• Play at least one tile on the board, adding the value of all words formed to the player's cumulative score.

The first play of the game must consist of at least two tiles and cover the center square (H8). Any play thereafter must use at least one of the player's tiles to form a "main word" (containing all of the player's played tiles in a straight line) reading left-to-right or top-to-bottom. Diagonal plays are not allowed. At least one tile must be adjacent (horizontally or vertically) to a tile already on the board. If the play includes a blank tile, the player must designate the letter the blank represents; that letter remains unchanged for the rest of the game unless the play is challenged off. The player announces thescorefor that play, and then draws tiles from the bag equal to the number of tiles played, so that there are seven tiles on their rack. If there are not enough tiles, the player draws any remaining tiles instead. If the game is played using aclock,the player starts the opponent's clock after announcing the score and before drawing tiles. Players maykeep track of tilesplayed during the game.

If a player has made a play and not yet drawn a tile, any other player may choose to challenge any or all words formed by the play. The challenged word(s) are then searched in the agreed-upon word list or dictionary. If at least one challenged word is unacceptable, the play is removed from the board, and the player scores zero for that turn. If all challenged words are acceptable, the challenger loses their turn. In tournament play, players are not entitled to know which word(s) are invalid or the definitions of any challenged words. Penalties for unsuccessfully challenging an acceptable play vary in club and tournament play and are described in greater detail below.

End of game

A game of magnetic PocketScrabbleapproaching its end, when players have fewer than seven tiles remaining

The game ends when either:

• One player has played every tile on their rack ( "playing out" ) and no tiles remain in the bag (regardless of the tiles on the opponent's rack).
• At least six successive scoreless turns have occurred and either player decides to end the game. This typically occurs at the end of the game when neither player can form a valid play. (For several years, a game could not end with a cumulative score of 0–0, but that is no longer the case, and such games have since occurred a number of times in tournament play, the winner being the player with the lower total point value on their rack and thus a score less negative than the opponent's.)
• In tournament play, when either player exceeds 10 minutes of overtime.

At the end of the game, each player's score is reduced by the sum of the values of their unplayed tiles; if a player plays out, the sum of all other players' unplayed tiles is added to that player's score. This rule differs slightly in most tournaments; a player who plays out adds twice this sum, and the opponent's score is unchanged.

Scoring

Premium square colors

Square	Original version	Mattel version (2020-)	Mattel version (2012-2020)	Hasbro Version (2008–2014)
Double letter (DLS)	Light blue	Dark blue	Light blue	Bright blue
Triple letter (TLS)	Blue	Hot pink	Blue	Green
Double word (DWS)	Pink	Yellow	Yellow	Red
Triple word (TWS)	Red	Light green	Red	Orange

The score for a play is determined as follows:

• The value of each tile is indicated with a point value (between 1 and 10, with blanks worth zero points), and the score of every new word formed is equal to the sum of the point values of the letters in that word. If a play covers any premium squares (such as DLS or TWS squares), the point value of the corresponding letter or word is multiplied by 2 or 3 respectively. The center star is also a DWS square.
• Premium squares only apply when newly placed tiles cover them. Any subsequent plays do not count these premium squares. A play that covers a DWS or TWS multiplies the value of the entire word(s) by 2 or 3, including tiles already on the board.
• If a newly placed word covers both letter and word premium squares, the letter premium(s) is/are calculated first, followed by the word premium(s).
• If a player makes a play where the main word covers two DWS squares, the value of that word is doubled, then redoubled (i.e. 4× the word value). Similarly, if the main word covers two TWS squares, the value of that word is tripled, then re-tripled (9× the word value). Such plays are often referred to as "double-doubles" and "triple-triples" respectively.
• If a player plays all seven of their tiles on their turn (known as a "bingo"in North America and as a" bonus "elsewhere), a 50-point bonus is added to the score of the play.

Scoreless turns can occur when a player passes, exchanges tiles, loses a challenge, or otherwise makes an illegal move. A scoreless turn can also occur if a play consists of only blank tiles, but this is extremely unlikely in actual play.

Scoring example

See the example board at right.

Example of a Scrabble game using Quackle, an open-source program. The plays QUITE, MES(QUITE), INFaNCY, and RECO(UN)TS score 48, 57, 88, and 40 points, respectively.

Suppose Player 1 plays QUITE 8D, with the Q on a DLS and the E on the center star. Because the center star is a DWS, the score for this play is$(2\times 10+1+1+1+1)\times 2=48$points.

Player 2 extends the play to form the word MES(QUITE) 8A with the M on the TWS at 8A. The score for this play is$(3+1+1+10+1+1+1+1)\times 3=57$points. The Q is not doubled, as the Q was not played on this turn.

Player 1 plays INFaNCY 9D with a blank A, forming five 2-letter words, QI, UN, IF, TA, and EN. Because several additional words were formed, each new word is scored separately. The score for this play, without the 50-point bonus, is

$(1+1+4+2\times 0+1+2\times 3+4)+(10+1)+(1+1)+(1+4)+(1+2\times 0)+(1+1)=38$points. Because all 7 tiles were played on this turn, a 50-point bonus is added, and the score for this play is$38+50=88$points.

Player 2 plays RECO(UN)TS E4 through the word UN. Because this word covers two DWS squares, the score for this word is quadrupled, and the score for the play is$(1+1+3+1+1+1+1+1)\times 2\times 2=40$points. Player 1 is ahead 136–97.

Acceptable words

See also:Category:Scrabble lexica

All words of length 2 to 15 letters that appear in the agreed-upondictionaryor lexicon are acceptable words inScrabble,as are all theirinflectedforms and plurals. Words that contain apostrophes, are hyphenated or capitalized (such asproper nouns) are generally not allowed unless they also appear as acceptable entries; for example, words such asHERES,JACKandTEXAS,while typically containing an apostrophe or considered a proper noun, have unrelated meanings and are therefore acceptable in major Scrabble lexicons. Acronyms and abbreviations are generally not allowed unless they have separate entries (such asAWOL,RADAR,SCUBA,andWYSIWYG). Variant spellings, slang or offensive terms, archaic or obsolete terms, and specialized jargon words are acceptable if they meet all other criteria for acceptability, but archaic spellings (e.g., NEEDE or MAKETH) are generally not acceptable words. Foreign words are generally not allowed in English-languageScrabbleunless they have been incorporated into the English language, such as the wordsQI,KILIM, and PATISSERIE.

Vulgar and offensive words are generally excluded from theOfficial Scrabble Players Dictionarybut allowed in club and tournament play. TheNorth American Scrabble Players Associationremoved slurs from its lexicon in 2020, after conducting a poll of its members.Mattel removed 400 derogatory terms from its official word list in 2021, in response to theBlack Lives Mattermovement, with the company's head of games saying: "Can you imagine any other game where you can score points and win by using a racial epithet? It’s long overdue."This does not exclude players from playing these words, as it is within the rules of the game to play unacceptable words (at the risk of losing a challenge).

There are two popular competition word lists for English-language Scrabble:

• NASPA Word List(NWL, also known as OTCWL, OWL, or TWL)
• Collins Scrabble Words(CSW, also called "Collins" or "SOWPODS" )

The first predominates in the U.S., Canada, and Thailand, and the second in English Scrabble in the rest of the world. There is also a large community of competitive Collins players in North America, with its own NASPA rating system.

NWL and OSPD

Today'sNASPA Word List(NWL), published byNASPA Games,descends from theOfficial Tournament and Club Word List(a non-bowdlerized version of theOfficial Scrabble Players Dictionary) and its companionLong Words Listfor longer words. The current version of NWL is NWL2023,effective February 2024, and theOfficial Scrabble Players Dictionary,published byMerriam-Webster,is currently in its seventh edition of 2022. NWL includes all current OSPD words, plus several hundredoffensive wordsandgenericized trademarkssuch as KLEENEX; as of 2020, it no longer includes words judged to be personally applicable offensive slurs.

The NWL and OSPD are compiled using a number of major college-level dictionaries, principally those published by Merriam-Webster. If a word appears, at least historically, in any one of the dictionaries, it is included in the NWL and the OSPD. If the word has only an offensive meaning, it is included only in the NWL. The key difference between the OSPD and the NWL is that the OSPD is marketed for "home and school" use, without words which their source dictionaries judged offensive, rendering theOfficial Scrabble Players Dictionaryless fit for officialScrabbleplay. The OSPD is available in bookstores, while the NWL is available only throughNASPA.

Collins Scrabble Words

In all other English-speaking countries, the competition word list isCollins Scrabble Words2021 edition, known as CSW21 (Versions of this lexicon before 2007 were known asSOWPODS). Historically, this list has contained all OTCWL words plus words sourced from theChambersandCollins Englishdictionaries, but recent editorial decisions have caused greater discrepancies between CSW and NWL. CSW is commonly used to adjudicate major tournaments outside North America.

Tournaments are also played using CSW in North America, particularly since Hasbro ceased to control tournament play in 2009.NASPA,theWord Game Players Organization,andCollins Coalition(CoCo) all sanction CSW tournaments, using separateElorating systems.

Challenges

Main article:Challenge (Scrabble)

The penalty for a successfully challenged play is nearly universal: the offending player removes the tiles played and forfeits their turn. (In some online games, an option known as "void" may be used, wherein unacceptable words are automatically rejected by the program. The player is then required to make another play, with no penalty applied.)

The penalty for an unsuccessful challenge (where all words challenged in the play are deemed valid) varies considerably, including:

• "Double Challenge", in which an unsuccessfully challenging player must forfeit the next turn. This penalty governs North American (NASPA-sanctioned) OWL tournament play,and is the standard for North American, Israeli, and Thai clubs. Because loss of a turn generally constitutes the greatest risk for an unsuccessful challenge, it provides the greatest incentive for a player to "bluff", or play a "phony" – a plausible word that they know or suspect to be unacceptable, hoping their opponent will not challenge it. Or a player can put down a legal word that appears to be a phony hoping the other player will incorrectly challenge it and lose their turn.
• "Single Challenge" / "Free Challenge", in which no penalty whatsoever is applied to a player who unsuccessfully challenges. This is the default rule in Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as for many tournaments in Australia, although these countries do sanction occasional tournaments using other challenge rules.
• Modified "Single Challenge", in which an unsuccessful challenge does not result in the loss of the challenging player's turn, but is penalized by the loss of a specified number of points. The most common penalty is 5 points. The rule has been adopted in Singapore (since 2000), Malaysia (since 2002), South Africa (since 2003), New Zealand (since 2004), and Kenya, as well as in contemporaryWorld Scrabble Championships(since 2001) and North American (NASPA-sanctioned) Collins tournaments, and particularly prestigious Australian tournaments.Some countries and tournaments (including Sweden) use a 10-point penalty instead. In most game situations, this penalty is much lower than that of the "double challenge" rule. Consequently, such tournaments encourage greater willingness to challenge and discourage playing dubious words.

Under tournament rules, a player may request to "hold" the opponent's play to consider whether to challenge it, provided that the opponent has not yet drawn replacement tiles. The holding player's clock still runs, and the opponent cannot draw replacement tiles for 15 seconds or until the hold is released but may draw tiles afterward (which must be kept separate). If a player successfully challenges, the opponent must reveal any replacement tiles before returning them to the bag.

Competitive play

Club and tournament play

Main article:English-language Scrabble

See also:Category:Scrabble competitions

Tens of thousands play club and tournamentScrabbleworldwide. The rules and equipment in tournament Scrabble differ somewhat from those typically found in casual play. For example, all tournament (and most club) games are played with agame clockand a settime control,and are only between two players (or occasionally, two teams of players). A player who goes overtime does not immediately lose the game (as inchess), but is instead assessed a 10-point penalty per minute.Also, the original wooden tiles are not allowed in tournaments as it is possible for players to "feel" the tiles in the bag (especially blank tiles);thus, molded plastic tiles are often used. Players are allowedtracking sheetscontaining the tile distribution, from which tiles can be crossed off as they are played.

Regularly held major tournaments include:

1. TheWESPA Championship(formerly theWorld Scrabble Championship): an invitational championship organized by WESPA.
2. TheScrabble Players Championship(formerly North American Scrabble Championship): organized byNASPA Games,an open event attracting several hundred players, held around July–August every year in the United States.
3. TheNational Scrabble Championship:organized by theAssociation of British Scrabble Players(ABSP) and held every year in the United Kingdom.
4. TheBrand's Crossword Game King's Cup:the largest tournament in the world. Held annually in Thailand around the end of June or the beginning of July.
5. TheUK Open:the largest Scrabble tournament in Europe, held annually inCoventryin England, since 2008.

Other important tournaments include:

1. TheWorld Youth Scrabble Championships:entry by country qualification, restricted to under 18 years old. Held annually since 2006.
2. TheNational School Scrabble Championship:entry open to North American school students. Held annually since 2003.
3. TheCanadian Scrabble Championship:entry by invitation only to the top fifty Canadian players. Held every two to three years.
4. TheSingapore Open Scrabble Championship:international Singapore championship held annually since 1997.

Scrabbleclubs typically meet weekly and may typically hold one or more open, sanctioned tournaments per year.

Records

The following records were achieved during international competitive club or tournament play, according to authoritative sources, including the bookEverything Scrabbleby Joe Edley and John D. Williams Jr. (revised edition,Pocket Books,2001) and the Scrabble FAQ.When available, separate records are listed based upon different official word lists:

1. OTCWL, the North American list, also used in Thailand and Israel, known today as the NASPA Word List (NWL);
2. OSW, formerly the official list in the UK;
3. SOWPODS, the combined OTCWL+OSW list now used in much of the world, known today asCollinsScrabble Words.

To date, new editions or revisions of these lists have not been considered substantial enough to warrant separate record-keeping.

• High game (OTCWL)– 830 by Michael Cresta (Mass.), at the Le xing ton (Mass.) club, October 12, 2006. Cresta defeated Wayne Yorra 830–490.
• High game (OTCWL) in a tournament game– 803 byJoel Sherman(N.Y.), at a tournament in Stamford, Conn., December 9, 2011. Sherman defeated Bradley Robbins 803–285, playing a record-tying seven bingos and sticking Robbins with the Q.
• High game (OSW)– 793 by Peter Preston (UK), 1999.
• High game (SOWPODS)– Toh Weibin set a record score of 850 at the Northern Ireland Championships on January 21, 2012. The winning margin of 591 points is also believed to be a record.
• High combined score (OTCWL)– 1320 (830–490) by Michael Cresta and Wayne Yorra, in a Le xing ton, Mass., club, 2006.
• High combined score (OTCWL) in a tournament game– 1134 (582–552) by Keith Smith (Tex.) and Stefan Rau (Conn.), Round 12 of the 2008 Dallas Open. (Rau's losing score of 552 included three phony words that were not challenged.)
• High combined score (OTCWL) in a tournament game with no phony words played– 1127 (725–402) by Laurie Cohen (Ariz.) and Nigel Peltier (Wash.), in a tournament in Ahwatukee, Arizona, February 16, 2009.
• High combined score (SOWPODS)– 1210 (721–489) by Edward Okulicz (Australia andMichael McKenna(Australia), at the 2013 Janboree in NSW.
• Highest losing score (OTCWL)– 552 by Stefan Rau (Conn.) to Keith Smith's (Tex.) 582, Round 12 of the 2008 Dallas Open.
• Highest tie game (OTCWL)– 502–502 by John Chew and Zev Kaufman, at a 1997 Toronto Club tournament.
• Highest tie game (SOWPODS)– 532–532 by Sinatarn Pattanasuwanna (Thailand) and Tawan Paepolsiri (Thailand) at the 2012 World Youth Scrabble Championship.
• Highest opening move score (OTCWL)–MuZJIKS(with a blank for the U) 126 by Jesse Inman (S.C.) at theNational Scrabble Championship,2008.The highest possible legal score on a first turn isMUZJIKS128, using an actual U rather than a blank. (Note: The odds of drawing MUZJIKS without blanks is 9 in 432,325,411, or 1 in$48,036,156.{\overline {7}}$)
• Highest opening move score (SOWPODS)–BEZIQUE124 by Sam Kantimathi (1993),Joan Rosenthaland Sally Martin.
• Highest single play (OTCWL)–QUIXOTRY365 by Michael Cresta (Mass.), 2006.
• Highest single play (SOWPODS)–CAZIQUES392 by Karl Khoshnaw.
• Highest average score, multi-day tournament (OSPD)– 503 by James Leong (Sask.) over 12 rounds at Brandon, Man., 2015.484 by Doug Brockmeier (Calif.) over 12 rounds at Elmhurst, Ill., 2011.471 by Chris Cree (Tex.) over 18 rounds at the Bayou Bash in Houston, Tex., 2007.
• Highest average score, multi-day tournament (SOWPODS)– 499.94 byNigel Richards(MY) over 16 rounds at the 7th Lim Boon Heng Cup, Singapore, 2009.
• Highest average score, one day tournament (SOWPODS)– 548 by Jackson Smylie of Toronto, Ontario over 5 rounds at Caledon, Ontario
• Highest average score, one day tournament (OTCWL)– 532 by Jackson Smylie over 4 rounds at North American Scrabble Championship early bird in Las Vegas

Two other records are believedto have been achieved under a British format known as the "high score rule", in which a player's tournament result is determined only by the player's own scores, and not by the differentials between that player's scores and the opponents'. Play in this system "encourages elaborate setups often independently mined by the two players",and is significantly different from the standard game in which defensive considerations play a major role. While the "high score" rule has led to impressively high records, it is currently out of favor.

• High game score - 1,049 by Phil Appleby of Lymington,Hampshire,UK,on June 25, 1989, in Wormley,Hertfordshire,UK. His opponent scored just 253 points, giving Appleby a record victory margin of 796 points.
• High single play - CAZIQUES for 392, by Saladin Karl KhoshnawinManchester,UK, in April 1982.

Much higher-scoring plays are possible (e.g., plays covering three TWS squares), but extremely unlikely to occur without elaborate setups by both players. The highest reported score for a single play is 1786 points using the wordoxyphenbutazonecreating seven additional words simultaneously.When only adding the wordSESQUIOXIDIZINGto these official lists, one could theoretically score 2015 (OSPD) and 2044 (SOWPODS) points in a single move.The highest reported combined score for a theoretical game based on SOWPODS is 4046 points, constructed by Nathan Hedt of Australia.4046 points Other records are available for viewing atTotal Scrabble,an unofficial record book that includes the above as sources and expands on other topics.

In August 1984, Peter Finan and Neil Smith playedScrabblefor 153 hours atSt. Anselm's College,Birkenhead, Merseyside, setting a new duration record. A longer record was never recorded byGuinness Book of Records,as the publishers decided that duration records of this nature were becoming too dangerous and stopped accepting them.

Software

See also:Category:Scrabble software

Computer players

Mavenis a computer opponent for the game created by Brian Sheppard. The officialScrabblecomputer game in North America uses a version of Maven as its artificial intelligence and is published byAtari.Outside North America, the officialScrabblecomputer game is published byUbisoft.Quackle is an open-source alternative to Maven of comparable strength, created by a five-person team led by Jason Katz-Brown.AQtcross-platform version of Quackle is available on GitHub.

Video game versions

Video gameversions ofScrabblehave been released for various platforms, includingIBM PC compatibles,Mac,Amiga,Commodore 64,ZX Spectrum,Game Boy,Game Boy Color,Game Boy Advance,Nintendo DS,PlayStation,PlayStation 4,PlayStation Portable,iPod,iOS,Game,Palm OS,Amstrad CPC,Xbox 360,Kindle,Wii,andmobile phones.

TheNintendo DSversion ofScrabble 2007 Editionmade news when parents became angry over the game's AI using potentially offensive language during gameplay.

Web versions

Several websites offer the possibility to playScrabbleonline against other users, such as theInternet Scrabble ClubandPogofromElectronic Arts(North America only).

Facebookinitially offered a variation ofScrabblecalled Scrabulous as a third-party application add-on. On July 24, 2008, Hasbro filed acopyright infringementlawsuit against its developers.Four days later, Scrabulous was disabled for users in North America,eventually reappearing as "Lexulous"in September 2008, with changes made to distinguish it from Scrabble. By December 20, Hasbro had withdrawn its lawsuit.

Mattel launched its official version of onlineScrabble,Scrabble by Mattel,on Facebook in late March 2008.The application was developed byGamehouse,a division ofRealNetworksthat was licensed by Mattel.Since Hasbro controls the copyright for North America with the copyright for the rest of the world belonging to Mattel,the Gamehouse Facebook application was available only to players outside the United States and Canada.The version developed byElectronic ArtsforHasbrowas available throughout the world.

When Gamehouse ceased support for its application, Mattel replaced it with the Electronic Arts version in May 2013. This decision was met with criticism from its userbase.The Hasbro version continues to be available worldwide but now uses IP lookup to display Hasbro branding to North American players and Mattel branding to the rest of the world. Electronic Arts have also released mobile apps for Android and iOS, allowing players to continue the same game on more than one platform.

As well as facilities to play occasional games online, there are many options to play in leagues.

In 2020, the license for Scrabble passed fromElectronic ArtstoScopely,which launched the app Scrabble GO on March 5, 2020, with the Electronic Arts version discontinued on June 5, 2020.The new app was very different, leading to protests, and Scopely soon began to offer a 'Classic' version, without some of the extras initially offered: "this updated mode is reimagined to reflect the ask for a streamlined experience. Features such as boosts, rewards and all other game modes are disabled", the company announced.

Variations

Super Scrabble

Main article:Super Scrabble

A new licensed product,Super Scrabble,was launched in North America by Winning Moves Games in 2004 under license from Hasbro, with the deluxe version (with turntable and lock-in grid) released in February 2007. A Mattel-licensed product for the rest of the world was released by Tinderbox Games in 2006. This set comprises 200 tiles in slightly modified distribution to the standard set and a 21×21 playing board.

National versions

Further information:Scrabble letter distributions

Versions of the game have been released in several other languages.

The game was calledAlfapetwhen it was introduced inSwedenin 1954, but since the mid-1990s, the game has also been known as Scrabble in Sweden. Alfapet is now another crossword game, developed by the owners of the name Alfapet. A Russian version is calledErudit.A Hebrew version is called Shabets Na (שבץ נא). Versions have been prepared forDakotah,Haitian Creole,Dakelh(Carrier language), andTuvan.

For languages withdigraphscounted as single letters, such asWelshandHungarian,the game features separate tiles for those digraphs.

An Irish-language version of Scrabble was published by Glór na nGael in 2010. The previous year the same organisation published the Junior version of the game and two years later it republished Junior Scrabble using a two-sided (and two skill level) board.

Television game show version

Main article:Scrabble (game show)

In 1987, a board game was released by Selchow & Righter, based on thegame showhosted byChuck Woolerythat aired onNBCfrom 1984 to 1990 (and for five months in 1993). Billed as the "Official Home Version" of the game show (or officially as the "TV Scrabble Home Game" ), gameplay bears more resemblance to the game show than it does to a traditionalScrabblegame, although it does utilize a traditionalScrabblegameboard in play.

Games based onScrabble

Main article:Scrabble variants

There are numerous variations of the game. While they are similar to the originalScrabblegame, they include minor variations. For example, Literati draws random tiles instead of providing a finite number of tiles for the game, assigns different point levels to each letter and has a slightly different board layout, whereas Lexulous assigns eight letters to each player instead of seven.Words with Friendsuses a different board layout and different letter values, as doesWords of Gold.

A duplicateScrabbletournament inLa Bresse,France

Duplicate Scrabbleis a popular variant inFrench speaking countries.Every player has the same letters on the same board and the players must submit a paper slip at the end of the allotted time (usually 3 minutes) with the highest scoring word they have found. This is the format used for theFrench World Scrabble Championshipsbut it is also used inRomanianandDutch.There is no limit to the number of players that can be involved in one game, and atVichyin 1998 there were 1,485 players, a record for FrenchScrabbletournaments.

Scarabeois a variant that is much more popular in Italy than the original game. It features a 17×17 grid of cells and peculiar rules.

Popular among tournamentScrabbleplayers isClabbers.InClabbers,any move that consists of anagrams of allowable words is allowed. For example, because ETAERIO is allowable in ordinary Collins Scrabble, EEAIORT would be allowable inClabbers.

A junior version, calledJunior Scrabble,has been marketed. This has slightly different distributions of frequencies of letter tiles to the standardScrabblegame.

Word games similar to or influenced byScrabbleincludeBananagrams,Boggle,Dabble,Nab-It!,Perquackey,Puzzlage,Quiddler,Scribbage,Tapple,Upwords,andWordSpot.

There are also number-based variations, such asEquate.

Gameboard formats

The game has been released in numerous gameboard formats appealing to various user groups. The original boards included wood tiles and many "deluxe" sets still do.

Tile Lock editions

Tile Lockeditions ofScrabbleandSuper Scrabbleare made by Winning Moves and feature smaller, plastic tiles that are held in place on the board with little plastic posts. The standard version features exactly the same 100 tiles as regularScrabble.The Tile Lock Super Scrabble features the same 200 tiles that are inSuper Scrabble.

Travel editions

Editions are available for travelers who may wish to play in a conveyance such as a train or plane or to pause a game in progress and resume later. Many versions thus include methods to keep letters from moving, such as pegboards, recessed tile holders and magnetic tiles. Players' trays are also designed with stay-fast holders. Such boards are also typically designed to be reoriented by each player to put the board upright during the game, as well as folded and stowed with the game in progress.

• Production and Marketing Company, 1954 – metal hinged box, Bakelite tiles inlaid with round magnets, chrome tile racks, silver-colored plastic bag and cardboard box covered with decorative paper. The box, when opened flat, measures8+1⁄2in ×7+3⁄4in (22 cm × 20 cm) and the tiles measure1⁄2in (13 mm) square.
• Spear's Games, the 1980s – boxed edition with pegboard, plastic tiles with small feet to fit snugly in the pegboard. Racks are clear plastic, allowing some sorting while holding tiles fairly snugly. The set comes with a drawstring plastic bag to draw tiles and a cardboard box. It is possible to save a game in progress by returning the board to the box. There is a risk of players' trays being mixed and upset, and the box lid, held on by friction, is subject to upset.
• Selchow & Righter, 1980s – pocket edition with plastic "magnetic" board and tiles. Tile racks are also plastic with an asymmetrical shape to provide a handhold. All elements fit in a plastic envelope for travel and to permit a pause in the game. Plastic letters are very small and tend to lose their grip if not placed with slight lateral movement and if they are not perfectly clean. The game format is extremely small, allowingScrabblegames for backpackers and others concerned about weight and size.
• Hasbro Games, 2001 – hinged plastic board with clear tile-shaped depressions to hold tiles in play. Board is in a black, zippered folio such that board and tiles may be folded for travel, even with the game in play. The reverse side of the board contains numbered mounts for racks, holding tiles face down, allowing secure and confidential storage of tiles while a game is paused. Some versions have tile racks with individual tile slots, thus not permitting easy sorting of tiles in a rack. The board, when opened up, measures24.5 cm × 21.0 cm (9+3⁄4in ×8+1⁄4in), and the tiles are12.3 mm × 12.3 mm × 6.7 mm (1⁄2in ×1⁄2in ×1⁄4in) in size.

Deluxe editions

At the opposite end, some "deluxe" or "prestige"editions offer superior materials and features. These include editions on a rotating turntable, so players can always face the board, with the letters upright and a raised grid that holds the tiles in place.Also available are alternativeScrabbleboards, often made ofglassorhardwood,that have superior rotating mechanisms and personalized graphics.

Large print and braille editions

An edition has been released (in association with theRoyal National Institute of Blind People(RNIB))with a larger board and letters for players with impaired vision.The colours on the board are more contrasting, and the font size has been increased from 16 to 24 point. The tiles are in bold 48 point, and havebraillelabels. A separate braille edition is also available.

World's Smallest edition

Released by Super Impulse, "World's Smallest Scrabble"measures 3 × 1.75 × 0.5 inches. It has the full gameplay of the standard version, with a board, a case, and 99 magnetic tiles. It is available worldwide, with Hasbro branding in the U.S. and Canada and Mattel branding elsewhere.

Works related toScrabble

Books

Numerous books aboutScrabblehave been published, including nonfiction titles helping players improve their game, and fiction titles using the game as a plot device. These include:

• Merriam-Webster'sThe Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary,the Seventh Edition of which was published in 2023. The OSPD is the consistently best-selling official Scrabble book.
• Collins'Scrabble Dictionary: The Official Scrabble Solver,the Sixth Edition of which was published in 2022.
• Word FreakbyStefan Fatsis(2001), an introduction to tournamentScrabbleand its players. While writing the book, Fatsis became a high-rated tournament player.
• The Scrabble Player's Handbook,edited byStewart HoldenandKenji Matsumoto,and written by an international group of tournament players, which gives the information a serious player needs to advance to successful tournament play. Not to be confused withDrue K. Conklin's 1976The Official Scrabble Player's Handbook,The Scrabble Player's Handbookis available for free online.

Documentaries

Numerous documentaries have been made about the game, including:

• Scrabylon(2003), by Scott Petersen, which "gives an up-close look at why people get so obsessed with that seemingly benign game"
• Word Slingers(2002), byEric Siblinand Stefan Vanderland (produced for theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation), which follows four expert Canadian players at the2001 World ChampionshipinLas Vegas
• Lost for Words(2004) by Joshua Whitehead
• Word Wars(2004) by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo, about the "tiles and tribulations on theScrabblegame circuit "

Game shows

Scrabblehas been adapted into multiple television game shows.

• Scrabble,hosted byChuck Woolery,aired onNBCfrom 1984 to 1990, and again in 1993.
• TV Scrabbleaired on the British channelChallenge TVfrom 2001 to 2003.
• Scrabble Showdownaired on American channelThe Hubfrom 2011 to 2012.
• Scrabble,hosted byRaven-Symoné,began airing on American networkThe CWin 2024.

See also

• Anagrams- Public domain game, predecessor toScrabble
• Bananagrams
• Blanagram
• Boggle
• Countdown(game show)
• List of tournamentScrabbleplayers
• RSVP(board game)
• Scrabblein Hong Kong
• Upwords
• Words with Friends
• Wordscraper

Further reading

• Arneson, Erik (June 26, 2019)."How To Win at Scrabble and Words With Friends: How to Practice, Play, and Win Strategically".The Spruce Crafts.
• McElwee, Kevin (December 13, 2018)."Does Scrabble Need To Be Fixed?".Nautilus.Archived fromthe originalon December 9, 2019.RetrievedDecember 15,2018.
• "Scrabbleas a tool for language preservation in Tuvan ".ScholarSpace.Manoa, Hawaii.An article relating howScrabblehas been adapted to other languages, describing how it was prepared for the Tuvan languages, and giving directions about how to adapt it.
• Wallace, Robert (December 14, 1953)."A Man Makes a Best-Selling Game -Scrabble- and Achieves His Ambition (Spelled Out Above): Little Business In the Country ".LIFE Magazine.p. 101.

Reviews

• Family Games: The 100 Best

External links

• ScrabbleatBoardGameGeek
• .GCG specificationdescribes a computer file format for recording and annotatingScrabblegames.
• Scrabble Word Database (Multi-language)
• U.S. patent 2,752,158–Game apparatus– Expired patent for the jagged edges of bonus squares, which were added so that one need not lift previously placed tiles in order to see the bonus

Player associations

• Association of British Scrabble Players
• NASPA Games(formerly North American Scrabble Players Association; sanctions club and tournament play in North America)
• Scrabble Australia
• World English-Language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA)