Since its debut in 1938, Scrabble has been the star of many family game nights, and even worldwide competitive tournaments.
The game requires a combination of word knowledge, vocabulary, and strategy. It’s not enough to just be a good speller—you’ll need some smart tactics to stay ahead of your opponents. In this post, we’ll reveal 9 Scrabble tips that will help you score big.
Scrabble Tips to Up Your Game
Use these 9 tips to maximize your Scrabble points and outwit your competition.
1. Maximize the power of 2- and 3-letter words.
When played right, two-letter and three-letter words can boost your score by as many as 50 points per game! (Not to mention, they can offer a quick fix when you don’t have many tiles left, or are running low on inspiration!) We’ve got you covered with a list of 2-letter Scrabble words in the next section.
2. Use more letters.
On the flip side, it’s also important to use more letters when you can. Turnover is essential when you want to rake in more points, and since there are only 100 tiles in each bag, the more you utilize, the fewer there are for your opponents.
3. Use your ‘S’ wisely.
The ‘S’ tile is one of the easiest to play, along with ‘E.’ You can form a plural by adding it to the end of an existing word, and then use it to create a new word.
But remember: there are just 4 of these tiles in a bag, so don’t waste your ‘S’! Using it should help you score at least 10 additional points to make the play worthwhile.
4. Utilize hooks.
In Scrabble, a “hook” is a one-letter addition that forms an entirely new word. For example: “rush” can turn into “brush” or “crush,” while “rift” could become “drift,” and so on.
When using hooks, you’ll get the hook tile’s points, plus the points for all the other letters that were already there. Note that some of the most handy hooks are ‘y,’ ‘e,’ ‘r,’ and ‘d,’ especially when placed at the end of an existing word.
5. Look out for bonus squares.
Bonus squares, also referred to as “hot spots” in Scrabble lingo, are squares where you can double or triple your point values.
Try to plan from the beginning a move toward these hot spots. Note that for the best boost, you can try to land high-value letters like ‘q,’ ‘z,’ ‘j,’ ‘x,’ or ‘k’ on those squares.
6. Study q-without-u words.
Quick! Think of a word that uses ‘q’ but not ‘u’ in its spelling. Stumped? It’s not very easy in English, but there are 17 such words listed in the official Scrabble dictionary. They are: qabala, qabalah, qadi, qat, qaid, qi, qoph, faqir, mbaqanga, qanat, tranq, qindar, qintar, qwerty, sheqel, qindarka, and sheqalm.
Memorizing these words will allow you to use the highest scoring scrabble tile (besides ‘z’) while saving your 4 ‘u’ tiles for other words where they’re needed more.
7. Don’t forget about prefixes and suffixes.
A prefix is a set of letters placed before a root word to change its meaning (such as pre-, un-, or mis-) while a suffix is placed at the end to form a derivative (for example, –ing or –itis).
8. Go multilingual.
Most of the English language is considered fair game in Scrabble, but the official dictionary is also full of many foreign words. For example, Greek letters can be spelled out (such as alpha, beta, zeta). British spellings (like colour or flavour) are also up for grabs, as are foreign words that have been Anglicized (such as moi from French).
9. Use high-value letters ASAP.
Again, creating turnover is essential throughout the game, but it proves particularly helpful at the end. Unless you finish first, any unplayed letters you have left get subtracted from your final score. Yikes! As the draw pile gets smaller, try to get any big points off your rack.
List of Scrabble Two Letter Words
In addition to “ew,” which was added to the Scrabble dictionary in 2018, these 106 two-letter words are all fair game:
| aa | ab | ad | ae | ag |
| ah | ai | al | am | an |
| ar | as | at | aw | ax |
| ay | ba | be | bi | bo |
| by | da | de | do | ed |
| ef | eh | el | em | en |
| er | es | et | ex | fa |
| fe | gi | go | ha | he |
| hi | hm | ho | id | if |
| in | is | it | jo | ka |
| ki | la | li | lo | ma |
| me | mi | mm | mo | mu |
| my | na | ne | no | nu |
| od | oe | of | oh | oi |
| ok | om | on | op | or |
| os | ow | ox | oy | pa |
| pe | pi | po | qi | re |
| sh | si | so | ta | te |
| ti | to | uh | um | un |
| up | us | ut | we | wo |
| xi | xu | ya | ye | yo |
| za |
How Do You Improve Your Scrabble Skills?
One of the best ways to improve your Scrabble skills is to practice your spelling and expand your vocabulary.
Together, these skills will help you to think of more creative solutions when you’re short on tiles or left with relatively uncommon letters.
What Is the Best Word You Can Play in Scrabble?
According to The Active Times, Oxyphenbutazone, the name of an anti-inflammatory drug, is the highest possible scoring word that can be played in Scrabble, although there’s no record of it ever being done. There’s a challenge for your next game night!
Have Fun with More Word Games
Scrabble is just one of the many fun games you can play to stimulate your brain and expand your vocabulary by learning new words.
For more wordy fun, check out this list of the best word game apps you can enjoy on your phone—definitely a more engaging break than scrolling through Facebook!
Do you have any Scrabble tips? Share your winning strategies in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 17 Best Word Game Apps for Fun and Educational Play
- 12 Best Vocabulary Builder Apps
- How to Spell Better Using the Secrets of Spelling Bee Winners
- Proper Nouns: What They Are and How to Use Them
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
