Scrabble, designed by Alfred Mosher Butts when he was a jobless architect in the Depression, was first published commercially in 1948 by James Brunot, one of Butts' friends. Eventually, it became the world's most popular word game, selling more than 100 million copies.
Image courtesy of HasbroI believe that Scrabble is one of the 50 most culturally and historically significant games published since 1800. This profile explains why.
HasbroThere are several ways to play Scrabble online, including some officially sanctioned sites and some unofficial sites where you can play Scrabble-like crossword games. This article links to my picks for the best places to play Scrabble online.
This word game presents a number of unique challenges to its players. Memorizing the entire Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary would be great, but it's also unrealistic. Start with these basics first.
For many casual Scrabble players, drawing a Q is more likely to inspire fear rather than joy. But the 10-point letter should be seen as a source of high-scoring plays. Learning the 24 words which use a Q but not a U can go a long way toward improving your results.
Sometimes, even the best Scrabble players get stuck with a rack full of consonants. The good news is that 121 legal Scrabble words can be spelled without a vowel. The bad news is that 101 of them require you to have a Y (or two). Here are all 121 words, divided into those that use a Y and those that do not.
There are 102 two-letter words which can be played in Scrabble. Although individually they usually won't bring you a lot of points, knowing them can get you out of some tough spots.
One of the first thing that beginner Scrabble players should learn is the game's tile distribution. It's vital to know that, for example, only one J, K, Q, X and Z are in the bag -- and that they provide the best opportunities for high scores.
Scrabble is, hands down, the most popular word game in the world. It's played even by people who can't speak English -- and some players devote as much time to its study as do the grandest of Chess grandmasters. Most of the books on this list can help improve your Scrabble skills; one puts you inside the minds of the top Scrabble players.
Stefan Fatsis'
Word Freak is a well-written, first-person dive into competitive Scrabble. If you've ever become obsessed with a game, you'll recognize yourself in the many interesting personalities found in
Word Freak.
