Scrabble Rules

Scrabble helps build language skills. It is an easy way of discussing language while competing. It is of course a mental exercise but playing scrabble can be a great time too! You are expected to work through challenges in a calm and reasoned fashion. For me, scrabble is relaxing. I totally forget my everyday concerns as it acts like a pleasant mental stimulant for me.

Scrabble is a social game and it can top the list of family fun activities. Two to four players can play this game together. If you play scrabble on-line, you will enjoy having friends from different parts of the world. There are on-line scrabble competitions too. If children are taught to play scrabble, by using words from everyday vocabulary, it can be the best way to get them interested in English language, without telling them that they're about to receive a word lesson. It can be the best indoor game for children.

Scrabble Board and Tiles

• A square board, made up of 15 rows of 15 cells each is used to play this game. You are supposed to place the tiles within these cells, one to a cell. The tiles fit within these cells.
• Exactly 100 tiles are available for players. There are letters on 98 tiles while 2 tiles are blank which can be used as a wild-card. (You can use them for any letter in the alphabet). According to the scrabble rules, if a blank tile is used to substitute an 'o', it will be considered 'o', till the end of the game.
• Various letters are allotted different point values. These values depend on the rarity of the letter and the difficulty in playing it. Blank tiles have zero point value.

Point Values of Scrabble Tiles

• 0 Points - Blank Tile
• 1 Point - A, E, I, O, U and L, N, R, S, T
• 2 Points - D, G
• 3 Points - B, C, M, P
• 4 Points - F, H, V, W, Y
• 5 Points - K
• 8 Points - J, X
• 10 Points - Q, Z

How to Get Extra Points

• Double Letter Scores: When you place a tile on a light blue colored cell, then you get points equal to 'that tile's point value multiplied by two'.
• Triple Letter Scores: When you place a tile on a dark blue colored cell, then you get points equal to 'that tile's point value multiplied by three'.
• Double Word Scores: Light red colored cells run diagonally towards the four corners of the board. If your word covers one of these tiles, then the point value of the entire word is multiplied by two.
• Triple Word Scores: The dark red cells on the four sides of the board equidistant from the four corners of the board offer you triple word points. If your word covers one of these tiles, then the point value of the entire word is multiplied by three.

According to the scrabble rules, these specific cells can offer you extra points only once. If you play a word using these cells, you will get the extra points but when next time that space(or letter placed by you) is used to make a word, the point value will not be multiplied. All the above extra point values are mentioned on the board in the respective cells. Scrabble can be called a multiple intelligence activity as you have to consider so many things at a time like the best word, correct spelling, maximum letters, maximum points, best place for the word etc. If you are looking for some simple but good family activity ideas, you will definitely enjoy this word game.

How to Play Scrabble

• The tile bag contains all the tiles. Don't look into the bag, just take out a tile from it. Every player should take out one tile. The one who gets the letter closest to 'A' goes first but a blank tile is considered better than an 'A'. Place all these tiles into the bag again.
• Then, each player can draw seven tiles from the bag. After looking at the tiles, the player can place a word, exchange the tiles or pass. Obviously, playing a word would be a good option.
• A player can replace one, two, any number of tiles from the seven he has. He can replace all the seven tiles also. If he decides to exchange, then he cannot do anything else that hand. If the player places a word on the board, he can not exchange the tiles.
• You may pass at any time. The game is supposed to continues in a clockwise direction around the scrabble board and if all players pass twice in a row, then the game ends.
• The first player should place a word on the star square at the center of the board and he will get points equal to the entire point value of the word, multiplied by two. Remember, the star cell will not act as a double word score for subsequent players. After placing the word, the player can draw new tiles from the tile bag, without looking into it, until that player's number of tiles equals seven.
• The second player can place a word on the board in such a manner, that his word will include one letter from the existing word on the board. The players go on placing words on the board, connecting the new words with the already placed words. If the new letters placed horizontally, are creating another new word vertically, or vice versa, the other word should also be a meaningful one.
• If you can construct a word and place all seven tiles from the tile rack on the board at the same time, it is called 'BINGO' and you get a 50 point bonus for this great job done! But, at the end of the game, when the players hold less than the standard seven tiles, they won't get these 50 point bonus, even if they place all the tiles at the same time.
• Turn by turn, players go on taking out tiles from the bag. When there is no tile left in the bag, the play ends when any one player has used all the tiles on his rack.
• The points of the tiles left on the racks of all other players should be counted. They should be deducted from their final scores.
• All the points from the tiles left on the racks, of all remaining players, should be added to the score of the player who is 'out' of tiles. The player with the highest score wins.
• Official scrabble dictionaries are available in bookstores and on-line as well, but according to the scrabble game rules, players may place any word which can be found in a standard English language dictionary.
• Abbreviations, prefixes, suffixes, hyphenated words, words that require an apostrophe, proper nouns cannot be played. Plurals are allowed.

Don't get upset because of the long list of scrabble rules, scrabble is actually fun to play. In fact, these rules make it a more enjoyable game. Just start playing it with your friends. You will understand the rules better while playing. As you lay down the perfect word in the perfect place, you will come to know how much fun and satisfaction the game can offer. I have no words to express the joy of playing a bingo. It's like century in cricket or hitting the pin on a golf drive. What else can be better than playing a game, that gives you the satisfaction of feeling clever about yourself? Scrabble can bring all the family members together. It can be a part of family fun activities. Enjoy it!