Scrabble
Scrabble Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Score the most points by forming interlocking words — crossword fashion — on the board, using your lettered tiles to best advantage on the premium (colored) squares.
Equipment
- Gameboard: a 15×15 grid, with premium squares (Double/Triple Letter and Double/Triple Word).
- 100 letter tiles: 98 lettered tiles plus 2 blank tiles. Each letter has a printed point value; the blanks are worth zero.
- 4 racks; a tile bag.
Tile distribution and values (English set): A×9 (1), B×2 (3), C×2 (3), D×4 (2), E×12 (1), F×2 (4), G×3 (2), H×2 (4), I×9 (1), J×1 (8), K×1 (5), L×4 (1), M×2 (3), N×6 (1), O×8 (1), P×2 (3), Q×1 (10), R×6 (1), S×4 (1), T×6 (1), U×4 (1), V×2 (4), W×2 (4), X×1 (8), Y×2 (4), Z×1 (10), Blank×2 (0).
Setup
- Turn all tiles face down (or place in the bag) and mix them.
- Each player draws one tile; the player with the letter closest to "A" plays first (a blank beats an A). Return the drawn tiles and remix.
- Each player draws 7 tiles and places them on their rack, hidden from opponents.
Playing
Play passes to the left. On your turn choose one of three options: place a word, exchange tiles, or pass.
Placing a Word
- The first word must be placed so that one of its tiles covers the center star square. It must be at least two letters and read left-to-right or top-to-bottom (never diagonally).
- On later turns, every new word must connect to tiles already on the board. You add one or more tiles to form a new word by:
- Adding tiles to the front and/or back of a word already on the board;
- Placing a word at right angles to a word on the board, using one of its letters;
- Placing a complete word parallel to an existing word so that adjacent tiles also form complete words.
- All letters played in a line must form one complete word, and every new crossing sequence created by your tiles must also be a legitimate word.
After placing your word, announce your score, then draw new tiles to bring your rack back up to 7 (if any remain in the bag).
Blanks
A blank tile may be used as any letter. When you play it, declare which letter it represents; it stays that letter for the rest of the game. A blank scores zero points, even on a letter-premium square, but the word premiums still apply to the rest of the word.
Exchanging Tiles
Instead of placing a word, you may exchange any number of your tiles for new ones: discard the tiles face down, draw the same number, then return the discarded tiles to the bag. This uses your whole turn and scores nothing. You may only exchange if at least 7 tiles remain in the bag.
Passing
You may forgo your turn and score nothing. The game ends if all players pass twice in a row (two consecutive scoreless turns each).
Scoring
Sum the values of the letters in each word formed on your turn, applying premium squares:
- Double / Triple Letter Score: multiplies that single tile's value.
- Double / Triple Word Score: doubles or triples the value of the entire word using that square.
- Letter premiums apply before word premiums. If a word covers two word-premium squares, multiply again (e.g., two Double-Word squares = 4×).
- A premium square counts only when a tile is first placed on it. In later turns, tiles already on premiums score at face value.
- If you form two or more words in one turn (a word plus crossings), score each word; a shared letter counts (with its premium if newly covered) in every word that uses it.
The 50-point Bonus ("Bingo")
If you place all 7 of your tiles in a single turn, you score a 50-point bonus, added after the word's other points are totaled.
End of the Game
The game ends when all tiles have been drawn and one player uses their last tile (emptying their rack), or when all possible plays are exhausted (all players pass twice).
Final adjustment:
- Each player subtracts from their score the total value of the tiles remaining on their rack.
- If a player used all their tiles ("went out"), they add the sum of all the other players' unplayed tiles to their own score.
The player with the highest final score wins. In a tie, the player with the highest score before adjustments wins (or the tie stands).
Word Legality
Any word found in a standard dictionary is allowed, except words always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes/suffixes standing alone, and words requiring an apostrophe or hyphen. A word may be challenged before the next player takes their turn: look it up — if it is invalid, the player removes those tiles and loses that turn; if valid, the challenger loses their next turn (rules vary by house/tournament convention).