Scrabble Advance Tips

Different Game Plays

There are a few ways to add words to the board. Knowing the following game plays will help improve your play and increase your scoring opportunity.

• Adding letters either to the front or back or to both the front and back of an existing word to form a new word.


• Making a new word by using a letter on an existing word


• Adding a letter to the front of back of an existing word and play perpendicular to that word.


• Play parallel to an existing word, forming two or more words on the same play

MWS (Multi-Word Score)

The MWS is a term I coined when a player employs the latter two game plays (above), thus forming 2 or more words in a single turn. You will score more points for each word in one turn. If used effectively, this form of game play can help to increase your score steadily. If your tiles are all valued at one point each, then this method can be especially useful to maintain a steady average score per turn.

The side effect of using parallel play too often is a tight board which may be a problem for yourself. The MWS technique should be used sparingly unless you are adept at handling tight boards.

Two by Two

Knowing all the two letters words can be beneficial when playing scrabble because it increases scoring opportunities by allowing more parallel plays. Besides, it opens up many more spots for scoring, often allowing you to play a bingo. Your could increase your scoring average by 30-40 points a game, especially when you employ the MWS technique.

The new Scrabble game sets comes with a list of about 112 acceptable two letter words. Alternatively, you can buy the Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary from Amazon.

Rack Management

No matter how skillful you are at scrabble, you will be at the mercy of tiles you draw. You might be an expert, but if you draw T UU VV WW and your novice opponent draws AEINRST, you probably won't be leading after the first play.

Of course during a series of games the luck factor is less important, since generally each player will get her fair share of blanks and Ss. The more skillful players, however, knows how to consistently manage their rack well. And there are ways to enhanced your chances of drawing a balanced, high-scoring rack. To balance your rack means to save the better combinations of letters.

For example, you have AABIILN, You see the play BANAL for 25 points, that's not a bad score. However, you notice that ALIBI will score 20. Which do you choose? Look at the difference between the "leaves" for both plays. (A leave is the group of letters left on your rack after you have made a play and before you replenish your rack.) After BANAL you will be left with II. After ALIBI you have AN. Which do you think will reap better results?

It is also a bad idea to play 1 or 2 letters in the hope of picking up a specific letter to make a great play.

Home : Quotable Quotations : Wise Words : Scrabble : aStore : Contact