Scrabble is a well-known word game where each player gathers their points by creating words using the blocks provided. Each one of these tiles has a letter, and each letter has a specific number of points assigned to it, and they are placed onto a game board to form meaningful words. It is a well-loved board game that has been played by all generations. Aside from being a fun activity to bond with your friends and family, Scrabble promotes communication, healthy competition, and confidence. It also improves your memory and boosts your vocabulary and creativity. Tired of losing at every game? Or are you looking for a way to be a master at this word game? Check out these effective strategies below which will help you become a Scrabble pro!
High-Value Letters
Next time you play Scrabble, set your eyes on the letters J, Q, X, and Z. J and X are worth 8 points while Q and Z both have a value of 10 points. When you have these letters, focus on coming up with words using these high-scoring letters. Use a bonus square on the board to maximize these letters. However, always remember that winning the game does not mean you have to use high-scoring letters all the time. You have to plan out your next move carefully. Keep in mind that constantly using high-scoring letters can leave you with just a bunch of consonants later in the game. It can also provide your opponents with the opportunity to gain a high-scoring spot on the board. The best move is to maximize their value by using these letters with one of the special squares, as well as by taking into consideration your opponent’s ability to score right back.
Rearrange Your Tiles
Stuck with a bunch of letters that seem to not make sense at all? Just rearrange the letters on your rack for a visual boost. This will help you form words with ease. If you are still struggling, use a letter unscrambler to find meaningful words. A letter unscrambler is an online tool that solves anagrams by rearranging your given letters. Through this process, it generates all possible words with the letters on your rack. This is perfect if you want to get a list of high-scoring words in an instant.
Two-Letter Words
There are exactly 101 two-letter words that you can create in a Scrabble game. Two-letter words do not provide a lot of points, but they are very helpful when you get stuck. If you want to get rid of excess vowels and gain building blocks for your next turn, utilizing two-letter words can come in handy.
Prefixes and Suffixes
Building words with prefixes and suffixes is a sure-fire way to gain better scores. Adding common suffixes to your words is a strong strategy as there an endless number of words that end with -er, -ed, -s, and -ing. Common prefixes you can add are in-, re-, and un-. Other suffixes that you can integrate into your words are -ly, -ent, -ful, -ity, -ness, -cy, -tion, -al, and – ite. For prefixes, you can also push non-, re-, mis-, tri-, and ex- to the left side of your rack.
Play Defense
Do you keep losing from your opponent who uses only short words? In Scrabble, you have to play your defenses right. To turn things around, use long words to your advantage. Using long words that will keep your opponents away from the bonus squares is a smart strategy. You can also come up with words that will force them to play off difficult letters. On the other hand, if you keep losing to your opponent who gets ahead by using long words, you have to focus on coming up with short yet reliable words. There are plenty of two-, three-, and four-letter words with high value. Place them along with their long words to boost your score points. The number one rule in playing smart is to not allow your opponent to easily gain a double or triple word score.
Use the Blank Tile Wisely
The blank tile is a wild card that you can use to represent any letter in the alphabet. Despite not having any point value, the blank tile is still one of the most sought-after tiles in winning scrabble. If you get one, make sure not to use it on just any regular word. The best way to use a blank tile to your advantage is by stacking up your rack to come up with a word that will use all of your letters. This is called bingo and it will help you gain a whopping 50 points.
A combination of good offense and defense strategies is needed to be a master at Scrabble. By practicing regularly and expanding your vocabulary, you will surely have a higher chance of winning every time.