If you're a Scrabble player, then you know that the game is all about finding words and scoring points. What are the basic Scrabble Rules? How many squares do you start with in Scrabble? What is not allowed in Scrabble? These are questions we answer for you below!
What are Basic Scrabble Rules?
Scrabble Tiles
The Scrabble board is composed of 100 squares or 'tiles.' The tiles are double-sided, with the letter and blank sides. Each player begins the game by placing seven (one for each square) yellow letters on his/her side of the board. Thereafter, players take turns playing one word at a time in any free row, column, or diagonal. The first player to use all of his/her letters wins the game.
Scrabble letter Values
The letter values are as follows: A=one point, B=two points, C=three points, D=four points, E=five points, F=six points, G=seven points, H=eight points, I=nine points, J=ten points, K=eleven points, L=twelve points, M=thirteen points, N=fourteen points, O=fifteen points, P=sixteen points.
Q is not allowed in Scrabble because it is not a word.
X and Z are also not allowed in Scrabble, because they are not common letters.
When scoring points, players must use the full word. For example, if a player plays the word 'dog', and another player has the word 'god' on their board, the first player would only score four points (one for each letter). The second player would then score seven points for using the word 'god.'
Scrabble also has a bonus game, which is played at the end of each round. The first player to use all his/her letters in one turn wins 50 bonus points. If more than one person plays this way, then only the highest scorer receives it (the other players get nothing).
If a player does not use all of his/her letters, then the unplayed letter is given to their opponent. The opponent can either add it to one of their words or leave it blank for future play.
What is not allowed in Scrabble?
Any word where you are required to use hyphen and apostrophe cannot be used, even if it is a valid word. For example, the words 'don't' and 'o'donnell' are not allowed in Scrabble because of their use of hyphen and apostrophe.
Words that contain letters or punctuation marks that don't belong to any player cannot be used either (for instance, playing an 's' on a word that has two 'k's).
Words with three or more consecutive identical letters cannot be used. For example, the words 'hiiinjg', 'aaasstt', and many others are not allowed in Scrabble because they all have at least one triple letter. Words like this can also be given to your opponent.
Words that are not found in a standard dictionary cannot be used. This includes acronyms such as 'NASA', common phrases like 'in the end' and more complex words like 'eenie-meenie.' If you're unsure whether or not an acronym is allowed, then check with Scrabble's official dictionary, the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary.
How many squares do you start with in Scrabble?
Each player begins the game by placing seven (one for each square) yellow letters on his/her side of the board. Thereafter, players take turns playing one word at a time in any free row, column, or diagonal. The first player to use all of his/her letters wins the game.
These are some of the most important things you need to know in order to play Scrabble. However, for a more comprehensive guide on how to play the game, please visit the official website. Rules may vary depending on location.
