What you need
- A Scrabble set: a 15 by 15 board, 100 letter tiles (98 letters and 2 blanks), one tile rack for each player and a bag
- A dictionary that all players agree on before the game, in case of a challenge
- Pen and paper, or the free score keeper
Players and time
2 to 4 players. About 1 to 2 hours (an estimate).
The goal
Score the most points by forming interlocking words on the board, crossword style, with lettered tiles. Each tile has a point value, and some squares on the board multiply the score of a letter or a whole word.
The player with the highest total score at the end wins. In a two-player game the box rules say a good player scores in the range of 300 to 400 points.
Setup
- Put all the tiles in the bag, or face down beside the board, and mix them.
- To decide who goes first, each player draws one tile. The letter closest to A goes first. A blank beats any letter. Put the tiles back and mix them again.
- Each player draws seven tiles and puts them on their rack, hidden from the others.
A turn
- The first player makes a word of two or more letters across or down, with one letter on the center star square. Diagonal words are not allowed.
- After that, each player in turn adds one or more tiles to the board. All the tiles you place in one turn must go in a single row or column, and together with tiles already on the board they must make one continuous word. Any new tiles that touch other letters must also make complete words, crossword fashion.
- You may add letters to a word on the board, place a word at right angles to a word on the board so it uses one of the letters there, or place a word parallel to another so that all the adjacent letters make words too.
- Add up the score for the turn and say it out loud. Then draw new tiles from the bag to get back to seven, for as long as the bag has enough.
- Once you have played and scored, tiles cannot be moved or taken back, unless the play is successfully challenged.
- Instead of playing a word you may exchange tiles. Put the tiles you want to swap face down, draw the same number from the bag, then mix the discarded tiles into the bag. That ends your turn and scores nothing. Many groups also allow a plain pass.
Special cards and combinations
- Premium squares
- A double letter square (DL) doubles the value of the letter placed on it. A triple letter square (TL) triples it. A double word square (DW) doubles the score of the whole word that covers it, and a triple word square (TW) triples it. Count the letter premiums first, then double or triple the word. A word that covers two double word squares scores 4 times its letter total, and a word that covers two triple word squares scores 9 times. The center star counts as a double word square, so the first word is doubled. Premiums count only in the turn when a tile is placed on them. Later words that use that tile count it at face value.
- Crossing words
- Every word you form or extend in a turn is scored. If your play makes two or more words, each is scored, and a tile that belongs to both words is counted in both, with its full premium for each.
- Blanks
- A blank tile can stand for any letter. When you play one, say which letter it is. It stays that letter for the rest of the game. A blank is worth 0 points, but if it covers a double or triple word square the word is still doubled or tripled.
- Bingo
- If you play all seven tiles from your rack in one turn, you score a 50-point bonus on top of the score for the turn. The bonus is added after you total the word scores.
- Challenges
- Any play may be challenged before the next player starts a turn. Look the words up in the dictionary you agreed on. If any word made in the play is not acceptable, the whole play is taken back and the player who made it loses that turn. If every word is acceptable, the challenger loses their next turn. All the words from one play are challenged together, and only one turn is lost per challenge. Use the dictionary to settle challenges only, not to check words before you play.
- Which words are allowed
- Words in the agreed dictionary that are marked as a part of speech are allowed, including words labelled as foreign, archaic, slang and similar. Not allowed: words that are always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, and words that need a hyphen or an apostrophe. This site does not give a word list. Settle disputes with your agreed dictionary.
- Ending the game
- The game ends when all the tiles have been drawn and one player uses their last tile, or when no more plays are possible. In practice, many groups and tournaments also end the game when six turns in a row have scored zero (passes, exchanges and failed challenges). The box rules do not say this, so agree on it before you play.
Scoring
The score for a turn is the sum of the letter values in every word you formed or extended, plus any letter and word premiums, plus 50 for a bingo. The value is printed at the bottom of each tile. The standard English tile values are in the table.
At the end of the game, each player subtracts the total of the tiles left on their rack. If a player went out by using their last tile, that player also adds the total of all the other players' leftover tiles to their own score.
| Points | Tiles |
|---|---|
| 0 | Blank (2 tiles) |
| 1 | A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T, U |
| 2 | D, G |
| 3 | B, C, M, P |
| 4 | F, H, V, W, Y |
| 5 | K |
| 8 | J, X |
| 10 | Q, Z |
Worked example
Turn: you play JOKES with the K on a double letter square and the S on a double word square. The letters are J 8, O 1, K 5 doubled to 10, E 1 and S 1, which total 8 + 1 + 10 + 1 + 1 = 21. The word square doubles it to 42 points.
End of the game: Ana plays her last tile. Ben still has Q and A on his rack, 10 + 1 = 11 points. Cy has X, E and T, 8 + 1 + 1 = 10 points. Before the adjustment Ana has 312, Ben 298 and Cy 305. Ana adds 11 + 10 = 21 and ends on 333. Ben subtracts 11 and ends on 287. Cy subtracts 10 and ends on 295.
Keep score with the Scrabble score keeper
How to win
The player with the highest final score, after the unplayed tiles have been added and subtracted, wins.
If there is a tie, the player with the higher score before the unplayed tiles were added or subtracted wins.
Common house rules
These are house rules. They are not part of the official rules, so agree on them before you start.
- Nine-tile Scrabble (Hasbro variation) House rule
- Each player holds nine tiles instead of seven. The 50-point bonus is paid for playing 7, 8 or all 9 tiles from your rack. This is a shorter game printed on Hasbro's sheet.
- Finish Line Scrabble (Hasbro variation) House rule
- The game ends as soon as one player reaches a target score set in advance, however many tiles are left. Hasbro's sheet gives targets by number of players and skill level: with two players, 70 for beginners, 120 for intermediate and 200 for expert; with three players, 60, 100 and 180; with four players, 50, 90 and 160.
- Six scoreless turns end the game (common practice) House rule
- If six turns in a row score zero, because of passes, exchanges or lost challenges, the game ends and the unplayed tiles are subtracted. It is used in tournaments and many homes but is not on the box sheet.
- No exchanges late in the game (common practice) House rule
- Tournament rules do not let you exchange tiles when the bag holds fewer than seven tiles. The box sheet does not say this. Agree on it before you play.
- Looking words up (house rule) House rule
- The box rules say to use the dictionary for challenges only. Some friendly games let players look up a word before they play it. If you do this, everyone should have the same option.
Frequently asked questions
Which dictionary should we use?
Hasbro's rules say to agree on a dictionary before the game starts. Any word with a part of speech is allowed, even if it is labelled slang or archaic, except words that are always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, and words that need a hyphen or an apostrophe.
What happens if I challenge a word?
If any word in the play is not acceptable, the player takes back their tiles and loses that turn. If all the words are acceptable, the challenger loses their next turn. You can challenge only before the next player starts their turn.
When does the game end?
When the bag is empty and one player uses their last tile, or when nobody can make another play. Many players also stop after six scoreless turns in a row, which is common practice and not on the box sheet.
How many points is a blank worth?
Zero. But if a blank sits on a double or triple word square, the word is still doubled or tripled.
How many points is a bingo?
Fifty bonus points for playing all seven tiles from your rack in one turn. The bonus is added after the score for the turn is totaled.
Does the center star double my first word?
Yes. The center star acts as a double word square, so the first word scores double.
How is a tie broken?
By the score before the unplayed tiles were added or subtracted. The player with the higher score at that point wins.
Can I exchange tiles at any time?
On your turn you may use the turn to exchange some, all or none of your tiles, which scores nothing. The box sheet puts no limit on this. Tournament play does not allow it when the bag has fewer than seven tiles.
Sources
- Hasbro: SCRABBLE instruction sheet (Setup, play, blanks, exchanging, dictionary and challenges, premium squares, the 50-point bingo, ending the game, unplayed letters, ties and the shorter-game variations.)
- Hasbro: National School SCRABBLE Championship rules (2014) (Tournament version of the same rules: six scoreless turns end the game, exchanges not allowed with fewer than seven tiles in the bag, the center star, 100 tiles, and the same challenge penalty.)
- Wikipedia: Scrabble letter distributions (Point value of each letter in the English-language set and the 100-tile total.)
SCRABBLE is a trademark of Hasbro in the United States and Canada. Rules and Scores is not affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro.