View source for Scrabble

{{Short description|Board game with words}}
{{other uses}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}} <!-- first use: Revision 622226 of 05:49, 21 January 2003 by [[User:Mav|Mav]] -->
{{Infobox game
| italic title = no
| title = ''Scrabble''
| subtitle = 
| logo = Scrabble logo by hasbro.png
| logo_size = 200
| logo_caption = 
| image = Scrabble game in progress.jpg
| image_size = 
| caption = A game of [[English-language Scrabble|English-language ''Scrabble'']] in progress
| manufacturer = [[Hasbro]] (within U.S. and Canada)<br />[[Mattel]] (outside U.S. and Canada)
| designer = [[Alfred Mosher Butts]]
| publisher = James Brunot
| date = {{start date and age|1948}}
| genre = [[Word game]]<br />[[Board game]]
| players = 2–4
<!-- | ages          = 8+ -->| setup_time = 2–4 minutes
| playing_time = Tournament game: 50–60 minutes
| random_chance = Medium (letters drawn)
| skills = [[Vocabulary]], [[spelling]], [[anagram]]ming, [[Strategy game|strategy]], [[Mathematics|counting]], [[Deception|bluffing]], [[probability]]
| web = {{Official website|1=https://shop.hasbro.com/en-us/scrabble-words|name=Official website (Hasbro)}}<br />{{Official website|1=https://shopping.mattel.com/en-gb/collections/scrabble|name=Official website (Mattel)}}
| footnotes = 
}}
'''''Scrabble''''' is a [[word game]] in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a [[Board game|game board]] divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in [[crossword]] fashion, read left to right in rows or downward in columns and are included in a standard [[dictionary]] or [[lexicon]].

American architect [[Alfred Mosher Butts]] invented the game in 1931. ''Scrabble'' is produced in the United States and Canada by [[Hasbro]], under the brands of both of its subsidiaries, [[Milton Bradley Company|Milton Bradley]] and [[Parker Brothers]]. [[Mattel]] owns the rights to manufacture ''Scrabble'' outside the U.S. and Canada. As of 2008, the game is sold in 121 countries and is available in more than 30 languages; approximately 150 million sets have been sold worldwide, and roughly one-third of American homes and half of British homes have a ''Scrabble'' set.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Toys and Games: ''Scrabble'' |website=history.com |url=http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=57162&display_order=4&sub_display_order=4&mini_id=57124 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424165147/http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=57162&display_order=4&sub_display_order=4&mini_id=57124 |archive-date=April 24, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The History of ''Scrabble'' |website=Mind Sport Olympiad |url=http://www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/proprietary/scrabble/features/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608001552/http://www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/proprietary/scrabble/features/history.html |archive-date=June 8, 2011 }}</ref><ref name=Burkeman>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jun/28/healthandwellbeing.familyandrelationships |title=Spell bound |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2008-06-28 |location=London |access-date=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name=tele/> There are approximately 4,000 ''Scrabble'' clubs around the world.<ref name=tele>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3776732/Scrabble-60-facts-for-its-60th-birthday.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3776732/Scrabble-60-facts-for-its-60th-birthday.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Scrabble: 60 facts for its 60th birthday|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=2016-03-31}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Equipment==
{{Further|Scrabble letter distributions}}
''Scrabble'' is played on a 15x15 board, containing 225 squares. Certain squares are premium squares, which multiply the number of points awarded: eight dark red "triple word" squares, 17 pale red "double word" squares, of which one, the center square (H8), is marked with a star or other symbol, 12 dark blue "triple letter" squares, and 24 pale blue "double letter" squares. In 2008, Hasbro changed the colors of the premium squares to orange for TW, red for DW, blue for DL, and green for TL, but the original premium square color scheme is still preferred for ''Scrabble'' boards used in tournaments.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Official Tournament Rules - NASPAWiki|url=https://scrabbleplayers.org/w/Official_Tournament_Rules|access-date=2021-07-25|website=scrabbleplayers.org}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align             = left
| direction         = horizontal
| footer            = The name of the game spelled out in game tiles from the English-language version. Each tile is marked with its point value, with a blank tile&mdash;the game's equivalent of a [[wild card (card games)|wild card]]&mdash;played as the word's first letter. The blank tile is worth zero points.
| width             = 30
| image1            = Scrabble joker.svg
| alt1              = Blank ''Scrabble'' tile
| link1             = 
| image2            = Scrabble letter C.svg
| alt2              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "C"
| link2             = 
| image3            = Scrabble letter R.svg
| alt3              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "R"
| link3             = 
| image4            = Scrabble letter A.svg
| alt4              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "A"
| link4             = 
| image5            = Scrabble letter B.svg
| alt5              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "B"
| link5             = 
| image6            = Scrabble letter B.svg
| alt6              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "B"
| link6             = 
| image7            = Scrabble letter L.svg
| alt7              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "L"
| link7             = 
| image8            = Scrabble letter E.svg
| alt8              = ''Scrabble'' tile for "E"
| link8             = 
}}
An English-language set contains 100 tiles, 98 of which are marked with a letter and a point value between 1 and 10. Each tile's point value is based on its frequency in English, with vowels and common letters such as L, N, R, S, and T worth 1 point, and rare letters such as Q and Z worth 10 points. The remaining two tiles are blank and carry no value. Other language sets use different letter set distributions with different point values. Tiles are usually made of wood or plastic and are {{convert|19|x|19|mm}} square and {{convert|4|mm|abbr=on}} thick, slightly smaller than the squares on the board. Each player uses a rack that conceals their tiles from other players.

{| class="floatright" style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center; border-collapse: collapse; height: 50%; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: center;"
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| style="width: 1.5em;" |
| style="width: 1.5em;" | A
| style="width: 1.5em;" | B
| style="width: 1.5em;" | C
| style="width: 1.5em;" | D
| style="width: 1.5em;" | E
| style="width: 1.5em;" | F
| style="width: 1.5em;" | G
| style="width: 1.5em;" | H
| style="width: 1.5em;" | I
| style="width: 1.5em;" | J
| style="width: 1.5em;" | K
| style="width: 1.5em;" | L
| style="width: 1.5em;" | M
| style="width: 1.5em;" | N
| style="width: 1.5em;" | O
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 6
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 7
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 7
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 8
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: firebrick;" | 3×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%;  color: black; background-color: pink;" | [[File:Five Pointed Star Solid.svg|15px]]
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: firebrick;" | 3×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em;" | 8
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 9
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 10
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 11
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
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| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
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| style="width: 1.5em;" | 14
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: royalblue;" | 3×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: pink;" | 2×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em;" | 14
|- 
| style="width: 1.5em;" | 15
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: firebrick;" | 3×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: firebrick;" | 3×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: black; background-color: skyblue;" | 2×<br/>LS
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black;" | 
| style="width: 1.5em; border: 1px solid black; line-height: 80%; font-size: 70%; color: white; background-color: firebrick;" | 3×<br/>WS
| style="width: 1.5em;" | 15
|- 
| style="width: 1.5em;" |
| style="width: 1.5em;" | A
| style="width: 1.5em;" | B
| style="width: 1.5em;" | C
| style="width: 1.5em;" | D
| style="width: 1.5em;" | E
| style="width: 1.5em;" | F
| style="width: 1.5em;" | G
| style="width: 1.5em;" | H
| style="width: 1.5em;" | I
| style="width: 1.5em;" | J
| style="width: 1.5em;" | K
| style="width: 1.5em;" | L
| style="width: 1.5em;" | M
| style="width: 1.5em;" | N
| style="width: 1.5em;" | O
| style="width: 1.5em;" | 
|-
| 
| colspan=7 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | {{legend|firebrick|Triple word score}}
{{legend|pink|Double word score}}
|
| colspan=7 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | {{legend|royalblue|Triple letter score}}
{{legend|skyblue|Double letter score}}
|
|-
| colspan=17 style="font-weight: normal; text-align: left;" | The official Scrabble board design
|}

==History==
[[File:Alfred Butts letter frequencies.JPG|thumb|right|Alfred Butts manually tabulated the frequency of letters in words of various length, using examples in a dictionary, the ''[[Saturday Evening Post]]'', the ''[[New York Herald Tribune]]'', and ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Tierney, John | url= https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/24/magazine/humankind-battles-for-scrabble-supremacy.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm | title=Humankind Battles for Scrabble Supremacy|work=The New York Times Magazine|date= May 24, 1998}}</ref> This was used to determine the number and scores of tiles in the game.]]
In 1931 in [[Poughkeepsie, New York]], the American architect [[Alfred Mosher Butts]] created the game as a variation on an earlier word game he invented, called ''[[Lexiko]]''. The two games had the same set of letter tiles, whose distributions and point values Butts worked out by performing a [[frequency analysis]] of letters from various sources, including ''[[The New York Times]]''. The new game, which he called ''Criss-Crosswords'', added the 15×15 gameboard and the crossword-style gameplay. He manufactured a few sets himself but was not successful in selling the game to any major game manufacturers of the day.<ref name="fatsis">{{cite book |last=Fatsis |first=Stefan |title=Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players |isbn=0-14-200226-7 |author-link=Stefan Fatsis|title-link=Word Freak (book) |year=2002 |publisher=Penguin Publishing }}</ref>{{rp|98}}

In 1948, James Brunot,<ref>{{cite web|website=boardgamegeek.com|title=James Brunot entry on Board Game Geek|url=http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgamedesigner/23572/james-brunot}}</ref> a resident of [[Newtown, Connecticut]], and one of the few owners of the original ''Criss-Crosswords'' game, bought the rights to manufacture the game in exchange for granting Butts a royalty on every unit sold. Although he left most of the game (including the distribution of letters) unchanged, Brunot slightly rearranged the "premium" squares of the board and simplified the rules; he also renamed the game ''Scrabble'', a real word that means "scratch frantically".<ref name="fatsis"/>{{rp|100}} In 1949, Brunot and his family made sets in a converted former schoolhouse in [[Dodgingtown, Connecticut]], a section of Newtown. They made 2,400 sets that year but lost money.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Edley, Joe|author2=Williams, John D. Jr. (With)|title= Everything Scrabble|publisher= Simon and Schuster|date= 2001|isbn=0-671-04218-1}}{{page needed|date=August 2012}}</ref>

In 1952, unable to meet demand himself, Brunot licensed the manufacturing rights to Long Island-based [[Selchow and Righter]], one of the manufacturers that, like [[Parker Brothers]] and [[Milton Bradley Company]], had previously rejected the game. "It's a nice little game. It will sell well in bookstores," Selchow and Righter president [[Harriet T. Righter]] remembered saying about Scrabble when she first saw it.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fatsis|first=Stefan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7JfL_0ce6IQC&q=Harriet%20Righter&pg=PA171|title=Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players|date=2001-07-07|publisher=HMH|isbn=978-0-547-52431-3|pages=171–172|language=en}}</ref> In its second year as a Selchow and Righter product, 1954, nearly four million sets were sold.<ref name="slate2012">{{cite magazine |first=Stefan |last=Fatsis |author-link=Stefan Fatsis |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/gaming/2012/08/scrabble_cheating_the_real_story_behind_the_stolen_blanks_scandal_at_the_national_scrabble_championship_.single.html|title=The Case of the Stolen Blanks |date=August 17, 2012|magazine=Slate |access-date=2012-08-19 |quote=Scrabble transitioned from living-room novelty—nearly 4 million sets were sold in 1954—to competitive passion in the 1960s, when it landed alongside chess, [[backgammon]], and [[Bridge (card game)|bridge]] in smoke-filled games parlors in New York City. ... When the tiles were placed in bags during games, unscrupulous players could feel around for the blanks because they had no grooves, a tactic known as "[[Braille|brailling]]".}}</ref><ref name="fatsis"/>{{rp|104}} Selchow and Righter then bought the trademark to the game in 1972.<ref name="NSA_history">{{cite web |url=http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/info/history.html |title=History of Scrabble |website=Scrabble-assoc.com |date=2003-04-26 |access-date=2010-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316172646/http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/info/history.html |archive-date=2010-03-16 }}</ref>

Meanwhile, [[J. W. Spear & Sons|JW Spear]] acquired the rights to sell the game in [[Australia]] and the UK on January 19, 1955.<ref name="fatsis" /> In 1986, Selchow and Righter was sold to [[Coleco]], which soon afterward went [[bankrupt]]. [[Hasbro]] then purchased Coleco's assets in 1989, including ''Scrabble'' and ''[[Parcheesi]]''.<ref name="NSA_history" /> [[Mattel]] then acquired JW Spear in 1994.<ref name="fatsis" /> Since then, Hasbro has owned the rights to manufacture ''Scrabble'' in the U.S. and Canada, and Mattel has held the rights to manufacture the game in other parts of the world.<ref name="NSA_history" />

[[File:Logo scrabble verd.tif|thumb|200px|''Scrabble'' logo used by Mattel from 2013 to 2020]]
[[File:Scrabble American logo.svg|thumb|200px|''Scrabble'' logo used by Hasbro in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]] until 2008]]
In 1984, ''Scrabble'' was turned into a [[Scrabble (game show)|daytime game show]] on [[NBC]]. The ''Scrabble'' game show ran from July 1984 to March 1990,<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7438684|id=tt0198227|title=Scrabble (1984–1990)}}. {{Retrieved|access-date=2012-08-19}}</ref> with a second run from January to June 1993. The show was hosted by [[Chuck Woolery]]. Its tagline in promotional broadcasts was, "Every man dies; not every man truly Scrabbles."<ref>{{cite web|website=media.wix.com|url=http://media.wix.com/ugd/006eaeaa43b0dd3b264ab20fc68e4499.ugd?dn=The%20Development%20of%20Scrabble.pdf |title=The Development of Scrabble|date=November 2010|access-date= 2013-03-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201172009/http://media.wix.com/ugd/006eaeaa43b0dd3b264ab20fc68e4499.ugd?dn=The%20Development%20of%20Scrabble.pdf|archive-date=2014-02-01|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, a new TV variation of ''Scrabble'', called ''[[Scrabble Showdown]]'', aired on [[The Hub (TV channel)|The Hub]] cable channel, which is a joint venture of Discovery Communications, Inc. and Hasbro.

''Scrabble'' was inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|title=Scrabble in the National Toy Hall of Fame |website= word-grabber.com - The Word Game Community|date= April 15, 2014|url=http://www.word-grabber.com/word-board-games/scrabble-national-toy-hall-fame}}</ref>

===Evolution of the rules===
The "box rules" included in each copy of the North American edition have been edited four times: in 1953, 1976, 1989, and 1999.<ref name="sauter">{{cite web |url=http://www.donaldsauter.com/scrabble-rules.htm |title=Scrabble – a Brief History and Evolution of the Rules, 1949–1999 |website=DonaldSauter.com |date=September 2010}}</ref>

The major changes in 1953 were as follows.
* It was made clear that:
** words could be played through single letters already on the board,
** a player could play a word parallel and immediately adjacent to an existing word provided all crossing words formed were valid,
** the effect of two premium squares was to be compounded multiplicatively.
* The previously unspecified penalty for having one's play successfully challenged was stated: withdrawal of tiles and loss of turn.

The major changes in 1976 were as follows.
* It was made clear that the blank tile beats an A when drawing to see who goes first.
* A player could pass their turn, doing nothing.
* A loss-of-turn penalty was added for challenging an acceptable play.
* If final scores are tied, the player whose score was highest before adjusting for unplayed tiles is the winner;<ref>{{cite web|title=Scrabble Game Rules|url=http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Scrabble_(2003).pdf|publisher=Hasbro|access-date=February 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916165951/http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Scrabble_%282003%29.pdf|archive-date=September 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> in tournament play, a tie is counted as half a win for both players.<ref name=":0" />

The editorial changes made in 1989 did not affect gameplay.<ref name="sauter" />

The major changes in 1999 were as follows.
* It was made clear that:
** a tile can be shifted or replaced until the play has been scored,
** a challenge applies to all the words made in the given play.
* Playing all seven tiles is officially called a "bingo" in North America and a "bonus" elsewhere.
* A change in the wording of the rules could have been interpreted as meaning that a player may form more than one word on one row on a single turn.

==Rules==
Before the game, a word list or dictionary is selected in order to adjudicate any [[Challenge (Scrabble)|challenges]] during the game. In tournament play, the word list is specified in advance, typically the [[NASPA Word List]], the ''[[Official Scrabble Players Dictionary]]'', or [[Collins Scrabble Words]]. All 100 tiles are placed into an opaque bag. One player is selected to go first; a commonly used method is for each player to draw one tile from the bag, and whoever draws a letter alphabetically closest to A goes first (blanks supersede A). Each player then draws seven tiles and places them on their rack, hidden from other players.
[[File:Scrabble 2015.jpg|right|thumb|A game of ''Scrabble'' in [[French language|French]]]]

===Gameplay===
On every turn, the player at turn can perform one of the following options:
* Pass, forfeiting the turn and scoring zero.
* Exchange one or more tiles for an equal number from the bag, scoring zero. This can only be done if 7 or more tiles remain in the bag.
* Play at least one tile on the board, adding the value of all words formed to the player's cumulative score.

The first play of the game must consist of at least two tiles and cover the center square (H8). Any play thereafter must use at least one of the player's tiles to form a "main word" (containing all of the player's played tiles in a straight line) reading left-to-right or top-to-bottom. Diagonal plays are not allowed. At least one tile must be adjacent (horizontally or vertically) to a tile already on the board. If the play includes a blank tile, the player must designate the letter the blank represents; that letter remains unchanged for the rest of the game unless the play is challenged off. The player announces the [[#Scoring|score]] for that play, and then draws tiles from the bag equal to the number of tiles played, so that there are seven tiles on their rack. If there are not enough tiles, the player draws any remaining tiles instead. If the game is played using a [[Chess clock|clock]], the player starts the opponent's clock after announcing the score and before drawing tiles. Players may [[Tile tracking|keep track of tiles]] played during the game.

If a player has made a play and not yet drawn a tile, any other player may choose to challenge any or all words formed by the play. The challenged word(s) are then searched in the agreed-upon word list or dictionary. If at least one challenged word is unacceptable, the play is removed from the board, and the player scores zero for that turn. If all challenged words are acceptable, the challenger loses their turn. In tournament play, players are not entitled to know which word(s) are invalid or the definitions of any challenged words. Penalties for unsuccessfully challenging an acceptable play vary in club and tournament play and are described in greater detail below.

====End of game====
[[File:PocketScrabble.JPG|thumb|A game of magnetic Pocket ''Scrabble'' approaching its end, when players have fewer than seven tiles remaining]]

The game ends when either:
* One player has played every tile on their rack ("playing out") and no tiles remain in the bag (regardless of the tiles on the opponent's rack).
* At least six successive scoreless turns have occurred and either player decides to end the game. This typically occurs at the end of the game when neither player can form a valid play. (For several years, a game could not end with a cumulative score of 0–0, but that is no longer the case, and such games have since occurred a number of times in tournament play, the winner being the player with the lower total point value on their rack and thus a score less negative than the opponent's.<ref>{{cross-tables player-tournament|pid=560|pname=Marlon Hill|tid=6898|tname=Albany, NY July 2010}}</ref>)
* In tournament play, when either player exceeds 10 minutes of overtime.

At the end of the game, each player's score is reduced by the sum of the values of their unplayed tiles; if a player plays out, the sum of all other players' unplayed tiles is added to that player's score. This rule differs slightly in most tournaments; a player who plays out adds twice this sum, and the opponent's score is unchanged.

===Scoring===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|+ Premium square colors
! scope="col" style="width:80px;"| Square !! scope="col" style="width:80px;"| Original version !! scope="col" style="width:80px;"| Mattel version (2020-) !! scope="col" style="width:80px;"| Mattel version (2012–2020) !! scope="col" style="width:80px;"| Hasbro Version (2008–2014)
|-
| Double letter (DLS)
| style="background:skyblue;" | Light blue
| style="background:#15183c;" | {{White|Dark blue}}
| style="background:skyblue;" | Light blue
| style="background:#09f;"| {{white|Bright blue}}
|-
| Triple letter (TLS)
| style="background:royalblue;" | {{white|Blue}}
| style="background:#c22e5a;" | {{White|Hot pink}}
| style="background:royalblue;" | {{white|Blue}}
| style="background:#290;"| {{white|Green}}
|-
| Double word (DWS)
| style="background:pink;" | Pink
| style="background:#e6c700;" | Yellow
| style="background:#e6c700;" | Yellow
| style="background:#f00;"| {{white|Red}}
|-
| Triple word (TWS)
| style="background:firebrick;" | {{white|Red}}
| style="background:#68b63e;" | {{white|Light green}}
| style="background:firebrick;" | {{white|Red}}
| style="background:#f90;"| {{white|Orange}}
|}

The score for a play is determined as follows:
* The value of each tile is indicated with a point value (between 1 and 10, with blanks worth zero points), and the score of every new word formed is equal to the sum of the point values of the letters in that word. If a play covers any premium squares (such as DLS or TWS squares), the point value of the corresponding letter or word is multiplied by 2 or 3 respectively. The center star is also a DWS square.
* Premium squares only apply when newly placed tiles cover them. Any subsequent plays do not count these premium squares. A play that covers a DWS or TWS multiplies the value of the entire word(s) by 2 or 3, including tiles already on the board.
* If a newly placed word covers both letter and word premium squares, the letter premium(s) is/are calculated first, followed by the word premium(s).
* If a player makes a play where the main word covers two DWS squares, the value of that word is doubled, then redoubled (i.e. 4× the word value). Similarly, if the main word covers two TWS squares, the value of that word is tripled, then re-tripled (9× the word value). Such plays are often referred to as "double-doubles" and "triple-triples" respectively.
* If a player plays all seven of their tiles on their turn (known as a "[[bingo (Scrabble)|bingo]]" in North America and as a "bonus" elsewhere), a 50-point bonus is added to the score of the play.

Scoreless turns can occur when a player passes, exchanges tiles, loses a challenge, or otherwise makes an illegal move. A scoreless turn can also occur if a play consists of only blank tiles, but this is extremely unlikely in actual play.

====Scoring example====
See the example board at right. 
[[File:Scrabble-scoring-example.png|thumb|Example of a Scrabble game using Quackle, an open-source program. The plays QUITE, MES(QUITE), INFaNCY, and RECO(UN)TS score 48, 57, 88, and 40 points, respectively.]]

Suppose Player 1 plays QUITE 8D, with the Q on a DLS and the E on the center star. Because the center star is a DWS, the score for this play is <math>(2 \times 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1) \times 2 = 48</math> points.

Player 2 extends the play to form the word MES(QUITE) 8A with the M on the TWS at 8A. The score for this play is <math>(3 + 1 + 1 + 10 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1) \times 3 = 57</math> points. The Q is not doubled, as the Q was not played on this turn.

Player 1 plays INFaNCY 9D with a blank A, forming five 2-letter words, QI, UN, IF, TA, and EN. Because several additional words were formed, each new word is scored separately. The score for this play, without the 50-point bonus, is

<math>(1+1+4+2\times 0 + 1 + 2 \times 3 + 4) + (10+1) + (1+1) + (1+4) + (1+2\times 0) + (1+1) = 38</math> points. Because all 7 tiles were played on this turn, a 50-point bonus is added, and the score for this play is <math>38+50=88</math> points.

Player 2 plays RECO(UN)TS E4 through the word UN. Because this word covers two DWS squares, the score for this word is quadrupled, and the score for the play is <math>(1+1+3+1+1+1+1+1) \times 2 \times 2 = 40</math> points. Player 1 is ahead 136–97.

===Acceptable words===
{{Category see also|Scrabble lexica}}
All words of length 2 to 15 letters that appear in the agreed-upon [[dictionary]] or lexicon are acceptable words in ''Scrabble'', as are all their [[inflection|inflected]] forms and plurals. Words that contain apostrophes, are hyphenated or capitalized (such as [[proper noun]]s) are generally not allowed unless they also appear as acceptable entries; for example, words such as [[wikt:heres|HERES]], [[wikt:jack|JACK]] and [[wikt:texas|TEXAS]], while typically containing an apostrophe or considered a proper noun, have unrelated meanings and are therefore acceptable in major Scrabble lexicons. Acronyms and abbreviations are generally not allowed unless they have separate entries (such as [[AWOL]], [[RADAR]], [[Scuba diving|SCUBA]], and [[WYSIWYG]]<ref>{{cite web |title=WYSIWYG SCRABBLE Word Finder |url=https://scrabble.merriam.com/finder/wysiwyg |website=SCRABBLE Word Finder |access-date=14 November 2023}}</ref>). Variant spellings, slang or offensive terms, archaic or obsolete terms, and specialized jargon words are acceptable if they meet all other criteria for acceptability, but archaic spellings (e.g., NEEDE or MAKETH) are generally not acceptable words. Foreign words are generally not allowed in English-language ''Scrabble'' unless they have been incorporated into the English language, such as the words [[Qi|QI]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kwan |first1=Michael |title=The Power of Qi: A Scrabble Word That'll Center Your Game |url=https://wordfinder.yourdictionary.com/blog/the-power-of-qi-a-scrabble-word-thatll-center-your-game/ |website=Word Finder by Your Dictionary |date=April 27, 2021 |access-date=14 November 2023}}</ref> KILIM, and PATISSERIE.

Vulgar and offensive words are generally excluded from the ''[[Official Scrabble Players Dictionary]]'' but allowed in club and tournament play. The [[North American Scrabble Players Association]] removed slurs from its lexicon in 2020, after conducting a poll of its members.<ref>{{cite news |title=Scrabble branded 'woke' as long list of words BANNED over 'social unrest' |url=https://7news.com.au/entertainment/games/scrabble-bans-long-list-of-words-players-are-no-longer-allowed-to-use--c-2593627 |work=7NEWS |date=14 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Mattel removed 400 derogatory terms from its official word list in 2021, in response to the [[Black Lives Matter]] movement, with the company's head of games saying: "Can you imagine any other game where you can score points and win by using a racial epithet? It’s long overdue."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Malvern |first1=Jack |title=War of words over Scrabble slurs |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/war-of-words-scrabble-slurs-m2r7jb3ws |date=23 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> This does not exclude players from playing these words, as it is within the rules of the game to play unacceptable words (at the risk of losing a challenge).

There are two popular competition word lists for English-language Scrabble:
* [[NASPA Word List]] (NWL, also known as OTCWL, OWL, or TWL)
* [[Collins Scrabble Words]] (CSW, also called "Collins" or "SOWPODS")
The first predominates in the U.S., Canada, and Thailand, and the second in English Scrabble in the rest of the world. There is also a large community of competitive Collins players in North America, with its own NASPA rating system.

====NWL and OSPD====
Today's [[NASPA Word List]] (NWL), published by [[NASPA Games]], descends from the ''Official Tournament and Club Word List'' (a non-bowdlerized version of the ''Official Scrabble Players Dictionary'') and its companion ''Long Words List'' for longer words. The current version of NWL is NWL2023,<ref>{{cite web |title=NWL2023 - NASPAWiki |url=https://scrabbleplayers.org/w/NWL2023 |access-date=26 July 2024}}</ref> effective February 2024, and the ''[[Official Scrabble Players Dictionary]]'', published by [[Merriam-Webster]], is currently in its seventh edition of 2022. NWL includes all current OSPD words, plus several hundred [[Profanity|offensive words]] and [[Generic trademark|genericized trademarks]] such as KLEENEX; as of 2020, it no longer includes words judged to be personally applicable offensive slurs.

The NWL and OSPD are compiled using a number of major college-level dictionaries, principally those published by Merriam-Webster. If a word appears, at least historically, in any one of the dictionaries, it is included in the NWL and the OSPD. If the word has only an offensive meaning, it is included only in the NWL. The key difference between the OSPD and the NWL is that the OSPD is marketed for "home and school" use, without words which their source dictionaries judged offensive, rendering the ''Official Scrabble Players Dictionary'' less fit for official ''Scrabble'' play. The OSPD is available in bookstores, while the NWL is available only through [[North American Scrabble Players Association|NASPA]].

====''Collins Scrabble Words''====
In all other English-speaking countries, the competition word list is ''Collins Scrabble Words'' 2021 edition, known as CSW21 (Versions of this lexicon before 2007 were known as [[SOWPODS]]). Historically, this list has contained all OTCWL words plus words sourced from the [[Chambers Dictionary|Chambers]] and [[Collins English Dictionary|Collins English]] dictionaries, but recent editorial decisions have caused greater discrepancies between CSW and NWL. CSW is commonly used to adjudicate major tournaments outside North America.

Tournaments are also played using CSW in North America, particularly since Hasbro ceased to control tournament play in 2009. [[North American Scrabble Players Association|NASPA]], the [https://wordgameplayers.org/ Word Game Players Organization], and [https://www.cocoscrabble.org/ Collins Coalition] (CoCo) all sanction CSW tournaments, using separate [[Elo rating system|Elo]] rating systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scrabbleplayers.org/w/SOWPODS|title=SOWPODS - NASPAWiki|publisher=North American Scrabble Players Association}}</ref>

===Challenges===
{{Main|Challenge (Scrabble)}}
The penalty for a successfully challenged play is nearly universal: the offending player removes the tiles played and forfeits their turn. (In some online games, an option known as "void" may be used, wherein unacceptable words are automatically rejected by the program. The player is then required to make another play, with no penalty applied.)

The penalty for an unsuccessful challenge (where all words challenged in the play are deemed valid) varies considerably, including:

* "Double Challenge", in which an unsuccessfully challenging player must forfeit the next turn. This penalty is moat common in North American (NASPA- or WGPO-sanctioned) tournament play,<ref name=":0" /> and is the standard for North American, Israeli, and Thai clubs. Because loss of a turn generally constitutes the greatest risk for an unsuccessful challenge, it provides the greatest incentive for a player to "bluff", or play a "phony" – a plausible word that they know or suspect to be unacceptable, hoping their opponent will not challenge it. Or a player can put down a legal word that appears to be a phony hoping the other player will incorrectly challenge it and lose their turn.
* "Single Challenge"/"Free Challenge", in which no penalty whatsoever is applied to a player who unsuccessfully challenges. This is the default rule in Ireland and the United Kingdom, as well as for many tournaments in Australia, although these countries do sanction occasional tournaments using other challenge rules.
* Modified "Single Challenge" (or "5-point challenge"), in which an unsuccessful challenge does not result in the loss of the challenging player's turn, but is penalized by a 5-point (or other specified point) penalty. The rule has been adopted in Singapore (since 2000), Malaysia (since 2002), South Africa (since 2003), New Zealand (since 2004), and Kenya, as well as in contemporary [[World Scrabble Championship]]s (since 2001) and North American (NASPA-sanctioned) Collins tournaments, and particularly prestigious Australian tournaments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scrabble.org.au/ratings/selective/2018AMSC.html|title=Australian Masters and State Team Challenge|website=www.scrabble.org.au|access-date=2018-05-01|archive-date=May 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502064327/http://www.scrabble.org.au/ratings/selective/2018AMSC.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Some countries and tournaments (including Sweden) use a 10-point penalty instead. In most game situations, this penalty is much lower than that of the "double challenge" rule. Consequently, such tournaments encourage greater willingness to challenge and discourage playing dubious words.

Under tournament rules, a player may request to "hold" the opponent's play to consider challenging, provided that the opponent has not yet drawn replacement tiles. The holding player's clock still runs, and the opponent cannot draw replacement tiles for 15 seconds or until the hold is released but may draw tiles afterward (which must be kept separate). If a player successfully challenges, the opponent must reveal any replacement tiles before returning them to the bag.

==Competitive play==
===Club and tournament play===
{{Main|English-language Scrabble}}
{{Category see also|Scrabble competitions}}

Tens of thousands play club and tournament ''Scrabble'' worldwide. The rules and equipment in tournament Scrabble differ somewhat from those typically found in casual play. For example, all tournament (and most club) games are played with a [[game clock]] and a set [[time control]], and are only between two players (or occasionally, two teams of players). A player who goes overtime does not immediately lose the game (as in [[chess]]), but is instead assessed a 10-point penalty per minute.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 1, 2016|title=NASPA Official Tournament Rules (effective January 4, 2017)|url=https://www.scrabbleplayers.org/rules/rules-20161201.pdf|access-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190112102824/https://www.scrabbleplayers.org/rules/rules-20161201.pdf|archive-date=January 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=October 1, 2019|title=World English-Language Scrabble Players Association Game Rules, Version 4.0|url=https://www.wespa.org/wesparulesv4.pdf|access-date=December 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411050018/https://www.wespa.org/wesparulesv4.pdf|archive-date=April 11, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, the original wooden tiles are not allowed in tournaments as it is possible for players to "feel" the tiles in the bag (especially blank tiles);<ref name="slate2012"/> thus, molded plastic tiles are often used. Players are allowed [[Tile tracking|tracking sheets]] containing the tile distribution, from which tiles can be crossed off as they are played.

Regularly held major tournaments include:
# ''The [[World English-Language Scrabble Players' Association|WESPA Championship]]'' (formerly the [[World Scrabble Championship]]): an invitational championship organized by WESPA.
# ''The [[Scrabble Players Championship]]'' (formerly North American Scrabble Championship): organized by [[NASPA Games]], an open event attracting several hundred players, held around July–August every year in the United States.
# ''The [[National Scrabble Championship (UK)|National Scrabble Championship]]'': organized by the [[Association of British Scrabble Players]] (ABSP) and held every year in the United Kingdom.
# ''The [[Brand's Crossword Game King's Cup]]'': the largest tournament in the world. Held annually in Thailand around the end of June or the beginning of July.
# ''The [[UK Open (Scrabble)|UK Open]]'': the largest Scrabble tournament in Europe, held annually in [[Coventry]] in England, since 2008.

Other important tournaments include:
# ''The [[World Youth Scrabble Championships]]'': entry by country qualification, restricted to under 18 years old. Held annually since 2006.
# ''The [[National School Scrabble Championship]]'': entry open to North American school students. Held annually since 2003.
# ''The [[Canadian Scrabble Championship]]'': entry by invitation only to the top fifty Canadian players. Held every two to three years.
# ''The [[Singapore Open Scrabble Championship]]'': international Singapore championship held annually since 1997.

''Scrabble'' clubs typically meet weekly and may typically hold one or more open, sanctioned tournaments per year.
<!--strategy and tactics excised; DO NOT re-add without sources-->

===Records===
The following records were achieved during international competitive club or tournament play, according to authoritative sources, including the book ''Everything Scrabble'' by Joe Edley and John D. Williams Jr. (revised edition, [[Pocket Books]], 2001) and the Scrabble FAQ.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://home.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/contents.html |title=Scrabble FAQ Contents |access-date=2005-07-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050827225238/http://home.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/contents.html |archive-date=2005-08-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> When available, separate records are listed based upon different official word lists:
# OTCWL, the North American list, also used in Thailand and Israel, known today as the NASPA Word List (NWL);
# OSW, formerly the official list in the UK;
# SOWPODS, the combined OTCWL+OSW list now used in much of the world, known today as ''[[HarperCollins|Collins]] Scrabble Words''.
To date, new editions or revisions of these lists have not been considered substantial enough to warrant separate record-keeping.
* ''High game (OTCWL)'' – 830 by Michael Cresta (Massachusetts), at the Lexington (Massachusetts) club, October 12, 2006. Cresta defeated Wayne Yorra 830–490.<ref name="lexington">{{cite web|url=http://www.wolfberg.net/scrabble/lexington/score830/ |title=830-point Game at the Lexington Scrabble Club |publisher=Wolfberg.net |access-date=2010-04-06}}</ref><ref name="slate_cresta">{{cite magazine |last=Fatsis |first=Stefan |url=http://www.slate.com/id/2152255/?nav=ais |title=830! How a carpenter got the highest Scrabble score ever. |magazine=Slate Magazine |date=2006-10-26 |access-date=2010-04-06}}</ref>
* ''High game (OTCWL) in a tournament game'' – 803 by [[Joel Sherman]] (New York), at a tournament in Stamford, Connecticut, December 9, 2011. Sherman defeated Bradley Robbins 803–285, playing a record-tying seven bingos and sticking Robbins with the Q.<ref name="stamford">{{cross-tables player-tournament|pid=53|pname=Joel Sherman|tid=7462|tname=Stamford, CT 2011}}</ref>
* ''High game (OSW)'' – 793 by Peter Preston (UK), 1999.<ref name="stevena">{{cite web |url=http://home.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/faqtext.html#Records |title=Scrabble FAQ |publisher=Home.teleport.com |access-date=2010-04-06 |archive-date=August 6, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060806005509/http://home.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/faqtext.html#Records |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ''High game (SOWPODS)'' – Toh Weibin set a record score of 850 at the Northern Ireland Championships on January 21, 2012. The winning margin of 591 points is also believed to be a record.<ref name="centrestar">{{cite web|url=http://www.centrestar.co.uk/12belfast/html/A-scores-005.html |title=Round 5 scores |publisher=centrestar.co.uk |access-date=2012-01-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cross-tables.com/annotated.php?u=10343#0# |title=Rik Kennedy-Toh Weibin annotated game (cross-tables.com)|access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wespa.org/news/2012x01b.shtml|title=Meet 'Mr. 850' Toh Weibin|publisher=WESPA|date=January 2012|access-date=2017-07-15}}</ref>
* ''High combined score (OTCWL)'' – 1320 (830–490) by Michael Cresta and Wayne Yorra, in a Lexington, Massachusetts, club, 2006.<ref name="lexington" /><ref name="slate_cresta" />
* ''High combined score (OTCWL) in a tournament game'' – 1134 (582–552) by Keith Smith (Texas) and Stefan Rau (Connecticut), Round 12 of the 2008 Dallas Open. (Rau's losing score of 552 included three phony words that were not challenged.)<ref name="dallaso">{{cite web |url=http://www.dallasopen.com/cgi-bin/showgcg.cgi?id=2008%2F12a%3Bturn%3Dindex |title=World Record: Highest Losing Score |publisher=Dallas Open |access-date=2010-04-06 |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708222228/http://www.dallasopen.com/cgi-bin/showgcg.cgi?id=2008%2F12a%3Bturn%3Dindex |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ''High combined score (OTCWL) in a tournament game with no phony words played'' – 1127 (725–402) by Laurie Cohen (Arizona) and Nigel Peltier (Washington), in a tournament in Ahwatukee, Arizona, February 16, 2009.<ref name="cohen_peltier">{{cite news |author=Coty Dolores Miranda |url=http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2009/02/19/20090219ar-scrabble0220.html |title=World Scrabble record set in Ahwatukee tournament |newspaper=The Arizona Republic |date=February 19, 2009 |access-date=2010-04-06}}</ref>
* ''High combined score (SOWPODS)'' – 1210 (721–489) by Edward Okulicz (Australia and [[Michael McKenna (Scrabble player)|Michael McKenna]] (Australia), at the 2013 Janboree in NSW.<ref>[http://www.cross-tables.com/annotated.php?u=16623#24#] Game summary</ref>
* ''Highest losing score (OTCWL)'' – 552 by Stefan Rau (Connecticut) to Keith Smith's (Texas) 582, Round 12 of the 2008 Dallas Open.<ref name="dallaso" />
* ''Highest tie game (OTCWL)'' – 502–502 by John Chew and Zev Kaufman, at a 1997 Toronto Club tournament.<ref name="toronto1">{{cite web|url=http://www.math.toronto.edu/jjchew/scrabble/analysis/19970615.html |title=Chew vs Kaufman |publisher=Math.toronto.edu |date=1997-06-15 |access-date=2010-04-06}}</ref>
* ''Highest tie game (SOWPODS)'' – 532–532 by Sinatarn Pattanasuwanna (Thailand) and Tawan Paepolsiri (Thailand) at the 2012 World Youth Scrabble Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youthscrabble.org/wysc2012/index.html|title=2013 WYSC Stories|publisher=World Youth Scrable}}</ref>
* ''Highest opening move score (OTCWL)'' – ''MuZJIKS'' (with a blank for the U) 126 by Jesse Inman (South Carolina) at the [[National Scrabble Championship]], 2008.<ref name="inman">{{cite web |url=http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/tourneys/2008/nsc/build/notes/5.html |title=2008 NSC Live Coverage, Round 5 |publisher=Scrabble-assoc.com |access-date=2010-04-06 |archive-date=September 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911193409/http://www.scrabble-assoc.com/tourneys/2008/nsc/build/notes/5.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The highest possible legal score on a first turn is ''MUZJIKS'' 128, using an actual U rather than a blank. (Note: The odds of drawing MUZJIKS without blanks is 9 in 432,325,411, or 1 in <math>48,036,156.\overline{7}</math><ref>Based on the respective distribution of each tile, the odds of drawing MUZJIKS in order is the product of the fractions {{frac|2|98}}, {{frac|4|97}}, {{frac|1|96}}, {{frac|1|95}}, {{frac|9|94}}, {{frac|1|93}}, and {{frac|4|92}}. This value must then be multiplied by factorial of 7{{--}}the number of tiles for which the factorial is the number of combinations{{--}}to obtain the probability of drawing the tiles in any order.</ref>)
* ''Highest opening move score (SOWPODS)'' – ''[[Bezique|BEZIQUE]]'' 124 by Sam Kantimathi (1993),<ref name="Glenday2008">{{cite book|last=Glenday|first=Craig|title=Guinness World Records 2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=keCMNVyeroYC&pg=PA198 |date=2008-04-29 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-553-58995-5 |page=198 |access-date=March 24, 2011}}</ref> Joan Rosenthal<ref name="ASPArecords">{{cite web|url=http://www.scrabble.org.au/records/alltime.htm |title=Tournament records – All-time best |publisher=Scrabble.org.au |access-date=2010-04-06}}</ref> and Sally Martin.<ref name="ASPArecords" />
* ''Highest single play (OTCWL)'' – [[Quixotism|''QUIXOTRY'']] 365 by Michael Cresta (Massachusetts), 2006.<ref name="lexington" /><ref name="slate_cresta" />
* ''Highest single play (SOWPODS)'' – ''[[CAZIQUES]]'' 392 by Karl Khoshnaw.<ref name="khoshnaw">{{cite web |url=http://www.wscgames.com/cgi/player.cgi?given=Karl&surname=Khoshnaw&country=Germany&exact=1 |title=WSC Player Information: Karl Khoshnaw |access-date=2006-04-27 |archive-date=June 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629004111/http://www.wscgames.com/cgi/player.cgi?given=Karl&surname=Khoshnaw&country=Germany&exact=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* ''Highest average score, multi-day tournament (OSPD)'' – 503 by James Leong (Saskatchewan) over 12 rounds at Brandon, Man., 2015.<ref name="jamesleong">{{cross-tables player-tournament|pid=2791|pname=James Leong|tid=9281|tname=Brandon, MB 2015}}</ref> 484 by Doug Brockmeier (California) over 12 rounds at Elmhurst, Illinois, 2011.<ref name="dougbrockmeier">{{cross-tables player-tournament|pid=342|pname=Doug Brockmeier|tid=7329|tname=Elmhurst, IL 2011}}</ref> 471 by Chris Cree (Texas) over 18 rounds at the Bayou Bash in Houston, Tex., 2007.<ref name="chriscree">{{cross-tables player-tournament|pid=435|pname=Chris Cree|tid=5717|tname=Houston, TX 2007}}</ref>
* ''Highest average score, multi-day tournament (SOWPODS)'' – 499.94 by [[Nigel Richards (Scrabble)|Nigel Richards]] (MY) over 16 rounds at the 7th Lim Boon Heng Cup, Singapore, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toucanet.com/archives/p/nric/2009/0322/ |title=Scrabble Association Archives – Nigel Richards, 7th Lim Boon Heng Cup, 22 Mar 2009 |publisher=Singapore Scrabble Association |access-date=2010-12-10}}</ref>
* ''Highest average score, one day tournament (SOWPODS)'' – 548 by Jackson Smylie of Toronto, Ontario, over 5 rounds at Caledon, Ontario
* ''Highest average score, one day tournament (OTCWL)'' – 532 by Jackson Smylie over 4 rounds at North American Scrabble Championship early bird in Las Vegas

Two other records are believed{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} to have been achieved under a British format known as the "high score rule", in which a player's tournament result is determined only by the player's own scores, and not by the differentials between that player's scores and the opponents'. Play in this system "encourages elaborate setups often independently mined by the two players",<ref name=stevena /> and is significantly different from the standard game in which defensive considerations play a major role. While the "high score" rule has led to impressively high records, it is currently out of favor.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}
* High game score – 1,049 by Phil Appleby of Lymington, [[Hampshire]], UK, on June 25, 1989, in Wormley, [[Hertfordshire]], UK. His opponent scored just 253 points, giving Appleby a record victory margin of 796 points.
* High single play – CAZIQUES for 392, by Saladin Karl Khoshnaw<ref name="khoshnaw"/> in [[Manchester]], UK, in April 1982.

Much higher-scoring plays are possible (e.g., plays covering three TWS squares), but extremely unlikely to occur without elaborate setups by both players. The highest reported score for a single play is 1786 points using the word [[oxyphenbutazone]] creating seven additional words simultaneously.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Del Solar |first1=César |title=New theoretical highest scoring play discovered! |date=May 26, 2024 |url=https://blog.woogles.io/posts/2024-05-27-new-theoretical-highest-play-discovered/ |access-date=4 July 2024}}</ref> When only adding the word [[Sesquioxide|SESQUIOXIDIZING]] to these official lists, one could theoretically score 2015 (OSPD) and 2044 (SOWPODS) points in a single move.<ref name=hyporep>[http://www.scrabulizer.com/blog/post/3 Record for the Highest Scoring Scrabble Move] at scrabulizer.com</ref> The highest reported combined score for a theoretical game based on SOWPODS is 4054 points, constructed by Nathan Hedt of Australia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Alphabet City Light - Final Report |url=http://azspcs.com/Contest/AlphabetCityLight/FinalReport |website=azspcs.com|access-date=10 August 2021 |date=26 September 2014}}</ref>
Other records are available for viewing at [http://cross-tables.com/totalscrabble.pdf ''Total Scrabble''], an unofficial record book that includes the above as sources and expands on other topics.

In August 1984, Peter Finan and Neil Smith played ''Scrabble'' for 153 hours at [[St. Anselm's College]], Birkenhead, Merseyside, setting a new duration record. A longer record was never recorded by ''Guinness Book of Records'', as the publishers decided that duration records of this nature were becoming too dangerous and stopped accepting them.<ref>{{cite book|last=McWhirter|first=Norris|title=Guinness Book of World Records 1985|year=1985|publisher=Sterling Publishing|isbn=0-8069-0264-7}}{{page needed|date=August 2012}}</ref>

==Software==
{{Category see also|Scrabble software}}

===Computer players===
[[Maven (Scrabble)|Maven]] is a computer opponent for the game created by Brian Sheppard. The official ''Scrabble'' computer game in North America uses a version of Maven as its artificial intelligence and is published by [[Atari]]. Outside North America, the official ''Scrabble'' computer game is published by [[Ubisoft]]. Quackle is an open-source alternative to Maven of comparable strength, created by a five-person team led by Jason Katz-Brown.<ref>{{cite news |year=2007 |url=http://chronicle.com/blogPost/A-Computer-Program-Wins-Its/2800 |title=A Computer Program Wins Its First Scrabble Tournament |newspaper=[[Chronicle of Higher Education|The Chronicle of Higher Education]] |access-date=2009-09-13 }}</ref> A [[Qt (software)|Qt]] cross-platform version of Quackle is available on GitHub.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/quackle/quackle|title=quackle/quackle|date=September 21, 2020|via=GitHub}}</ref>

===Video game versions===
[[Video game]] versions of ''Scrabble'' have been released for various platforms, including [[IBM PC compatible]]s, [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], [[Amiga]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble for Amiga (1993) |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/amiga/scrabble_____ |website=MobyGames}}</ref> [[Commodore 64]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Computer Scrabble for Commodore 64 (1984) |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/computer-scrabble |website=MobyGames |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807015354/https://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/computer-scrabble |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[ZX Spectrum]],<ref>{{cite web |title=World of Spectrum - Computer Scrabble |url=https://worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0004375 |website=World of Spectrum}}</ref> [[Game Boy]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Game Boy Advance]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble for Game Boy Advance - GameFAQs |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gba/567461-scrabble |website=gamefaqs.gamespot.com}}</ref> [[Nintendo DS]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/scrabble/critic-reviews/?platform=ds |website=Metacritic |language=en}}</ref> [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble (USA) : Hasbro Interactive : Free Borrow & Streaming |url=https://archive.org/details/psx_scrabble |website=Internet Archive |date=November 9, 1999 |language=en}}</ref> [[PlayStation 4]], [[PlayStation Portable]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble |url=https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/scrabble-ps4/ |website=PlayStation |language=en-us}}</ref> [[iPod]], [[iOS]], [[Game.com]], [[Palm OS]], [[Amstrad CPC]], [[Xbox 360]], [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble - Kindle Store |url=https://www.amazon.com/SCRABBLE/dp/B003P2QCE8 |website=www.amazon.com}}</ref> [[Wii]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble 2009 |url=https://www.game.co.uk/en/scrabble-2009-44643 |website=www.game.co.uk |language=en |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807035141/https://www.game.co.uk/en/scrabble-2009-44643 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[mobile game|mobile phones]].

The [[Nintendo DS]] version of ''Scrabble 2007 Edition'' made news when parents became angry over the game's AI using potentially offensive language during gameplay.<ref name="belfast2007">{{cite news|last=Henry|first=Lesley-Anne|title=Slang word shock on Scrabble video game|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/slang-word-shock-on--scrabble-video--game-13479520.html |newspaper=The Belfast Telegraph |date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009192245/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/slang-word-shock-on--scrabble-video--game-13479520.html |archive-date=9 October 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Web versions===
Several websites offer the possibility to play ''Scrabble'' online against other users, such as the [[Internet Scrabble Club]], [[Pogo.com]] from [[Electronic Arts]] (North America only), and [http://woogles.io woogles.io].

[[Facebook]] initially offered a variation of ''Scrabble'' called Scrabulous as a third-party application add-on. On July 24, 2008, Hasbro filed a [[copyright infringement]] lawsuit against its developers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Legal_Troubles_Mount_for_Scrabulous_Hasbro_Sues_for_Infringement_20998.html |title=Legal Troubles Mount for Scrabulous - Hasbro Sues for Infringement |publisher=efluxnews |date=July 27, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730042533/http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Legal_Troubles_Mount_for_Scrabulous_Hasbro_Sues_for_Infringement_20998.html |archive-date=July 30, 2008 }}</ref> Four days later, Scrabulous was disabled for users in North America,<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=July 29, 2008 |title=Facebook shuts off Scrabulous after Hasbro sues |agency=[[Bloomberg News]] |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-facebook30-2008jul30,1,6306391.story |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080805131444/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-facebook30-2008jul30,1,6306391.story |archive-date=2008-08-05}}</ref> eventually reappearing as "[[Lexulous]]" in September 2008, with changes made to distinguish it from Scrabble. By December 20, Hasbro had withdrawn its lawsuit.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1541432720081215 |title=Hasbro withdraws suit against Scrabulous creator |work=Reuters |date=2008-12-15 |access-date=2010-04-06 |first=Aarthi |last=Sivaraman}}</ref>

Mattel launched its official version of online ''Scrabble'', ''Scrabble by Mattel'', on Facebook in late March 2008.<ref name="Independent">{{cite news
|first=Stephen |last=Foley
|title=Mattel takes on Scrabulous in war of the words
|date=2004-04-08
|newspaper=The Independent
|location=London
|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/mattel-takes-on-scrabulous-in-war-of-the-words-805825.html
|access-date=2008-04-08
}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes1">{{cite news
|first=Heather |last=Timmons
|title=Scrabble Tries to Fight a Popular Impostor at Its Own Game
|date=2004-04-07
|newspaper=The New York Times
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/technology/07scrabulous.html?ex=1365220800&en=84df098d42df01ee&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
|access-date=2008-04-08
}}</ref> The application was developed by [[Gamehouse]], a division of [[RealNetworks]] that was licensed by Mattel.<ref name="NYTimes1" /> Since Hasbro controls the copyright for North America with the copyright for the rest of the world belonging to Mattel,<ref name="Independent" /> the Gamehouse Facebook application was available only to players outside the United States and Canada.<ref name="NYTimes1" /> The version developed by [[Electronic Arts]] for [[Hasbro]] was available throughout the world.

When Gamehouse ceased support for its application, Mattel replaced it with the Electronic Arts version in May 2013. This decision was met with criticism from its userbase.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/scrabbles-facebook-update-spells-a-n-g-e-r/news-story/92b18de69995f857e16fd4a34408e35a|title=Facebook update spells A-N-G-E-R|date=June 6, 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |location=Sydney, Australia}}</ref> The Hasbro version continues to be available worldwide but now uses IP lookup to display Hasbro branding to North American players and Mattel branding to the rest of the world. Electronic Arts have also released mobile apps for Android and iOS, allowing players to continue the same game on more than one platform.

As well as facilities to play occasional games online, there are many options to play in leagues.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.word-grabber.com/online-word-games/the-man-behind-the-facebook-scrabble-league|title=The Man Behind the Facebook Scrabble League |publisher=word-grabber.com  |date=2015-06-03 |access-date=2017-03-18}}</ref>

In 2020, the license for Scrabble passed from [[Electronic Arts]] to [[Scopely]], which launched the app Scrabble GO on March 5, 2020, with the Electronic Arts version discontinued on June 5, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2020/03/08/how-scopely-took-over-the-scrabble-mobile-game-franchise-from-ea/|title=How Scopely took over the Scrabble mobile game franchise from EA |publisher=venturebeat.com |date=2020-03-08 |access-date=2020-06-17}}</ref> The new app was very different, leading to protests, and Scopely soon began to offer a 'Classic' version, without some of the extras initially offered: "this updated mode is reimagined to reflect the ask for a streamlined experience. Features such as boosts, rewards and all other game modes are disabled", the company announced.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/cross-words-force-scrabble-app-developer-back-to-drawing-board/news-story/a42d6b1e37cbf8486d3be99a9a3d2895|title=Cross words force Scrabble app developer back to drawing board |publisher=theaustralian.com.au |date=2020-06-03 |access-date=2020-06-17}}</ref>

== Variations ==
===''Super Scrabble''===
{{Main|Super Scrabble}}
A new licensed product, ''[[Super Scrabble]]'', was launched in North America by Winning Moves Games in 2004 under license from Hasbro, with the deluxe version (with turntable and lock-in grid) released in February 2007. A Mattel-licensed product for the rest of the world was released by Tinderbox Games in 2006. This set comprises 200 tiles in slightly modified distribution to the standard set and a 21×21 playing board.

===National versions===
{{Further|Scrabble letter distributions}}
Versions of the game have been released in several other languages.

The game was called [[Alfapet]] when it was introduced in [[Sweden]] in 1954, but since the mid-1990s, the game has also been known as Scrabble in Sweden. Alfapet is now another crossword game, developed by the owners of the name Alfapet. A Russian version is called ''Erudit''. A Hebrew version is called Shabets Na (שבץ נא). Versions have been prepared for [[Dakota language|Dakotah]], [[Haitian Creole]], [[Dakelh]] ([[Carrier language]]), and [[Tuvan language|Tuvan]].<ref>Voinov, Vitaly. 2010. Words should be fun: Scrabble as a tool for language preservation in Tuvan and other local languages. ''[[Language Documentation & Conservation]]'' 4. 213–230.</ref>

For languages with [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] counted as single letters, such as [[Welsh language|Welsh]] and [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], the game features separate tiles for those digraphs.

An Irish-language version of Scrabble was published by Glór na nGael in 2010. The previous year the same organisation published the Junior version of the game and two years later it republished Junior Scrabble using a two-sided (and two skill level) board.

===Television game show version===
{{Main|Scrabble (game show)}}
In 1987, a board game was released by Selchow & Righter, based on the [[Scrabble (game show)|game show]] hosted by [[Chuck Woolery]] that aired on [[NBC]] from 1984 to 1990 (and for five months in 1993). Billed as the "Official Home Version" of the game show (or officially as the "TV Scrabble Home Game"), gameplay bears more resemblance to the game show than it does to a traditional ''Scrabble'' game, although it does utilize a traditional ''Scrabble'' gameboard in play.

===Games based on ''Scrabble''===
{{Main|Scrabble variants}}

There are numerous variations of the game. While they are similar to the original ''Scrabble'' game, they include minor variations. For example, Literati draws random tiles instead of providing a finite number of tiles for the game, assigns different point levels to each letter and has a slightly different board layout, whereas Lexulous assigns eight letters to each player instead of seven. ''[[Words with Friends]]'' uses a different board layout and different letter values, as does ''[[Words of Gold]]''.

[[File:ScrabbleDuplicate.jpg|thumb|A duplicate ''Scrabble'' tournament in [[La Bresse]], France]]
[[Duplicate Scrabble]] is a popular variant in [[Francophonie|French speaking countries]]. Every player has the same letters on the same board and the players must submit a paper slip at the end of the allotted time (usually 3 minutes) with the highest scoring word they have found. This is the format used for the [[French World Scrabble Championships]] but it is also used in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] and [[Dutch language|Dutch]]. There is no limit to the number of players that can be involved in one game, and at [[Vichy]] in 1998 there were 1,485 players, a record for French ''Scrabble'' tournaments.

''{{Interlanguage link|Scarabeo (game)|lt=Scarabeo|it|Scarabeo (gioco)|WD=}}'' is a variant that is much more popular in Italy than the original game. It features a 17×17 grid of cells and peculiar rules.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.editricegiochi.it/gioco/12/Scarabeo.htm|title=Scarabeo – Sito ufficiale |publisher=editricegiochi.it|access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref>

Popular among tournament ''Scrabble'' players is ''Clabbers''. In ''Clabbers'', any move that consists of anagrams of allowable words is allowed. For example, because ETAERIO is allowable in ordinary Collins Scrabble, EEAIORT would be allowable in ''Clabbers''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Warren|first1=Jane|url=https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/879354/Allan-Simmons-banned-for-cheating-scrabble |title=Cut-throat world of competitive Scrabble as Allan Simmons is BANNED for cheating|newspaper=The Express|access-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref>

A junior version, called ''Junior Scrabble'', has been marketed. This has slightly different distributions of frequencies of letter tiles to the standard ''Scrabble'' game.

Word games similar to or influenced by ''Scrabble'' include ''[[Bananagrams]]'', ''[[Boggle]]'', ''[[Dabble]]'', ''[[Nab-It!]]'', ''[[Perquackey]]'', ''[[Puzzlage]]'', ''[[Quiddler]]'', ''[[Scribbage]]'', ''[[Tapple]]'', ''[[Upwords]]'', and ''[[WordSpot]]''.

There are also number-based variations, such as ''[[Equate (game)|Equate]]''.

==Gameboard formats==
The game has been released in numerous gameboard formats appealing to various user groups. The original boards included wood tiles and many "deluxe" sets still do.

===Tile Lock editions===
''Tile Lock'' editions of ''Scrabble''<ref>{{cite book |title=New Tile Lock Scrabble: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games |id={{ASIN|1223063151|country=uk}} }}</ref> and ''Super Scrabble''<ref>{{cite web |title=Winning Moves Games Tile Lock Super Scrabble: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008D57U34 |website=www.amazon.co.uk}}</ref><ref name="Scrabble Word Finder">{{cite web| url = https://scrabblewordfinderr.com/| title = Scrabble Word Finder| access-date = February 18, 2021| archive-date = April 1, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210401202848/https://scrabblewordfinderr.com/| url-status = dead}}</ref> are made by Winning Moves and feature smaller, plastic tiles that are held in place on the board with little plastic posts. The standard version features exactly the same 100 tiles as regular ''Scrabble''. The Tile Lock Super Scrabble features the same 200 tiles that are in [[Super Scrabble]].

===Travel editions===
Editions are available for travelers who may wish to play in a conveyance such as a train or plane or to pause a game in progress and resume later. Many versions thus include methods to keep letters from moving, such as pegboards, recessed tile holders and magnetic tiles. Players' trays are also designed with stay-fast holders. Such boards are also typically designed to be reoriented by each player to put the board upright during the game, as well as folded and stowed with the game in progress.
* Production and Marketing Company, 1954 – metal hinged box, Bakelite tiles inlaid with round magnets, chrome tile racks, silver-colored plastic bag and cardboard box covered with decorative paper. The box, when opened flat, measures {{cvt|8+1/2|×|7+3/4|in|cm}} and the tiles measure {{cvt|1/2|in|mm}} square.
* Spear's Games, the 1980s – boxed edition with pegboard, plastic tiles with small feet to fit snugly in the pegboard. Racks are clear plastic, allowing some sorting while holding tiles fairly snugly. The set comes with a drawstring plastic bag to draw tiles and a cardboard box. It is possible to save a game in progress by returning the board to the box. There is a risk of players' trays being mixed and upset, and the box lid, held on by friction, is subject to upset.
* Selchow & Righter, 1980s – pocket edition with plastic "magnetic" board and tiles. Tile racks are also plastic with an asymmetrical shape to provide a handhold. All elements fit in a plastic envelope for travel and to permit a pause in the game. Plastic letters are very small and tend to lose their grip if not placed with slight lateral movement and if they are not perfectly clean. The game format is extremely small, allowing ''Scrabble'' games for backpackers and others concerned about weight and size.
* Hasbro Games, 2001 – hinged plastic board with clear tile-shaped depressions to hold tiles in play. Board is in a black, zippered folio such that board and tiles may be folded for travel, even with the game in play. The reverse side of the board contains numbered mounts for racks, holding tiles face down, allowing secure and confidential storage of tiles while a game is paused. Some versions have tile racks with individual tile slots, thus not permitting easy sorting of tiles in a rack. The board, when opened up, measures {{cvt|24.5|×|21.0|cm|in|frac=4}}, and the tiles are {{cvt|12.3|×|12.3|×|6.7|mm|in|frac=16}} in size.

===Deluxe editions===
At the opposite end, some "deluxe" or "prestige"<ref>{{cite web |title=Prestige Scrabble |url=http://www.leisuretrends.co.uk/prestige-scrabble.html |website=www.leisuretrends.co.uk}}</ref> editions offer superior materials and features. These include editions on a rotating turntable, so players can always face the board, with the letters upright and a raised grid that holds the tiles in place.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mattel Scrabble Deluxe New Version |url=https://www.johnlewis.com/mattel-scrabble-deluxe-new-version/p1159508 |website=www.johnlewis.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble Deluxe Edition Game {{!}} Scrabble |url=https://scrabble.hasbro.com/en-us/product/scrabble-deluxe-edition-game:3EBBA319-5056-9047-F518-95AD1EF2B5F2 |website=scrabble.hasbro.com}}</ref> Also available are alternative ''Scrabble'' boards, often made of [[glass]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Scrabble Glass Edition |url=http://www.leisuretrends.co.uk/scrabble-glass-edition.html |website=www.leisuretrends.co.uk}}</ref> or [[hardwood]], that have superior rotating mechanisms and personalized graphics.

===Large print and braille editions===
An edition has been released (in association with the [[Royal National Institute of Blind People]] (RNIB))<ref>{{cite web |title=Large Print Scrabble |url=https://shop.rnib.org.uk/large-print-scrabble.html |website=shop.rnib.org.uk |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807015005/https://shop.rnib.org.uk/large-print-scrabble.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> with a larger board and letters for players with impaired vision.<ref>{{cite web |title=Large Print Scrabble |url=http://www.leisuretrends.co.uk/large-print-scrabble.html |website=www.leisuretrends.co.uk}}</ref> The colours on the board are more contrasting, and the font size has been increased from 16 to 24 point. The tiles are in bold 48 point, and have [[braille]] labels. A separate braille edition is also available.<ref>{{cite web |title=Braille Scrabble |url=https://shop.rnib.org.uk/braille-scrabble.html |website=shop.rnib.org.uk |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807013025/https://shop.rnib.org.uk/braille-scrabble.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===World's Smallest edition===
Released by Super Impulse, "World's Smallest Scrabble"<ref>{{cite web |title=World's Smallest Scrabble |url=https://superimpulse.com/worlds-smallest-tetris/scrabble/ |website=Super Impulse |access-date=24 April 2024}}</ref> measures 3 × 1.75 × 0.5 inches. It has the full gameplay of the standard version, with a board, a case, and 99 magnetic tiles. It is available worldwide, with Hasbro branding in the U.S. and Canada and Mattel branding elsewhere.

==Works related to ''Scrabble''==

===Books===
Numerous books about ''Scrabble'' have been published, including nonfiction titles helping players improve their game, and fiction titles using the game as a plot device. These include:

* [[Merriam-Webster]]'s ''The Official Scrabble Player's Dictionary'', the Seventh Edition of which was published in 2023. The OSPD is the consistently best-selling official Scrabble book.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}
* [[Collins English Dictionary|Collins]]' ''Scrabble Dictionary: The Official Scrabble Solver,'' the Sixth Edition of which was published in 2022.
* ''[[Word Freak]]'' by [[Stefan Fatsis]] (2001), an introduction to tournament ''Scrabble'' and its players. While writing the book, Fatsis became a high-rated tournament player.
* ''The Scrabble Player's Handbook'', edited by [[Stewart Holden]] and [[Kenji Matsumoto]], and written by an international group of tournament players, which gives the information a serious player needs to advance to successful tournament play. Not to be confused with [[Drue K. Conklin]]'s 1976 ''The Official Scrabble Player's Handbook'', ''The Scrabble Player's Handbook'' is available for free online.<ref>{{Cite web |editor-last=Matsumoto |editor-first=Kenji |title=The Scrabble Player's Handbook |url=https://www.scrabble.org.au/strategy/scrabblehandbook.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708232218/http://www.scrabble.org.au/strategy/scrabblehandbook.pdf |archive-date=July 8, 2024 |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website= |edition=2nd}}</ref>

===Documentaries===
Numerous documentaries have been made about the game, including:
* ''Scrabylon'' (2003), by Scott Petersen, which "gives an up-close look at why people get so obsessed with that seemingly benign game"
* ''Word Slingers'' (2002), by [[Eric Siblin]] and Stefan Vanderland (produced for the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]), which follows four expert Canadian players at the [[World Scrabble Championship 2001|2001 World Championship]] in [[Las Vegas]]
* ''Lost for Words'' (2004) by Joshua Whitehead
* ''[[Word Wars]]'' (2004) by Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo, about the "tiles and tribulations on the ''Scrabble'' game circuit"

===Game shows===
''Scrabble'' has been adapted into multiple television game shows.

* ''[[Scrabble (game show)|Scrabble]]'', hosted by [[Chuck Woolery]], aired on [[NBC]] from 1984 to 1990, and again in 1993. 
* ''[[TV Scrabble]]'' aired on the British channel [[Challenge (TV channel)|Challenge TV]] from 2001 to 2003. 
* ''[[Scrabble Showdown]]'' aired on American channel [[Discovery Family|The Hub]] from 2011 to 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Hub Announces|url=http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/the-hub-announces-game-of-life-scrabble-showdown-family-game-night-picks-up-fifth-grader/|publisher=Buzzerblog|access-date=March 25, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329151012/http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/the-hub-announces-game-of-life-scrabble-showdown-family-game-night-picks-up-fifth-grader/|archive-date=March 29, 2012}}</ref> 
* ''[[Scrabble (game show)#2024 revival|Scrabble]]'', hosted by [[Raven-Symoné]], began airing on American network [[The CW]] in 2024.<ref name="Fall Premiere Dates">{{Cite press release|title=The CW Network Sets Fall 2024 Primetime Premiere Dates|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2024/06/20/the-cw-network-sets-fall-2024-primetime-premiere-dates-724310/20240620cw01/|publisher=[[The CW]]|via=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=June 20, 2024}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Anagrams (game)|Anagrams]] – Public domain game, predecessor to ''Scrabble''
* ''[[Bananagrams]]''
* [[Blanagram]]
* ''[[Boggle]]''
* [[Countdown (game show)|''Countdown'' (game show)]]
* [[List of tournament Scrabble players|List of tournament ''Scrabble'' players]]
* [[RSVP (board game)|''RSVP'' (board game)]]
* [[Scrabble in Hong Kong|''Scrabble'' in Hong Kong]]
* ''[[Upwords]]''
* ''[[Words with Friends]]''
* ''[[Wordscraper]]''
* ''[[Jenga]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|website=The Spruce Crafts|url=https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/win-at-scrabble-words-with-friends-409528|title=How To Win at Scrabble and Words With Friends: How to Practice, Play, and Win Strategically|author=Arneson, Erik|date=June 26, 2019}}
* {{cite magazine |first=Kevin |last=McElwee |title=Does Scrabble Need To Be Fixed? |magazine=[[Nautilus (science magazine)|Nautilus]] |date=December 13, 2018 |url=http://nautil.us/issue/67/reboot/does-scrabble-need-to-be-fixed |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209040144/http://nautil.us/issue/67/reboot/does-scrabble-need-to-be-fixed |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web|website=ScholarSpace|url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/4480/voinov.pdf;jsessionid=DE838E2995BAA6E7354F7DEEDEE2043B?sequence=1| title= ''Scrabble'' as a tool for language preservation in Tuvan|location=Manoa, Hawaii}}  An article relating how ''Scrabble'' has been adapted to other languages, describing how it was prepared for the Tuvan languages, and giving directions about how to adapt it.
* {{cite news|author=Wallace, Robert|work=LIFE Magazine |date=December 14, 1953|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PkkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA101|title=A Man Makes a Best-Selling Game - ''Scrabble'' - and Achieves His Ambition (Spelled Out Above): Little Business In the Country |page=101}}

===Reviews===
*''Family Games: The 100 Best''<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/familygames100be0000unse/page/292/mode/2up | isbn=978-1-934547-21-2 | title=Family games : The 100 best | date=January 7, 2024 | last1=Lowder | first1=James | publisher=Green Ronin }}</ref>

==External links==
<!-- PLEASE do not add links to online play sites. -->
<!-- This is not a link farm. -->
{{Sister project links|commonscat=yes|n=no|q=no|s=no|d=Q170436}}
* {{Bgg title|320|''Scrabble''}}
* [https://www.poslfit.com/scrabble/gcg/ .GCG specification] describes a computer file format for recording and annotating ''Scrabble'' games.
* [http://www.scrabbledb.com Scrabble Word Database (Multi-language)]
* {{US patent|2752158}} – ''Game apparatus'' – Expired patent for the jagged edges of bonus squares, which were added so that one need not lift previously placed tiles in order to see the bonus

;Player associations
* [https://www.absp.org.uk Association of British Scrabble Players]
* [https://www.scrabbleplayers.org NASPA Games] (formerly North American Scrabble Players Association; sanctions club and tournament play in North America)
* [https://www.scrabble.org.au/ Scrabble Australia]
* [https://www.wespa.org/ World English-Language Scrabble Players Association (WESPA)]

{{Scrabble}}
{{Milton Bradley}}
{{Hasbro}}
{{Mattel}}
{{Parker Brothers}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Scrabble]]
[[Category:Board games introduced in 1938]]
[[Category:Game.com games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer games]]
[[Category:Tabletop games]]
[[Category:Word board games]]
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[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Mattel games]]
[[Category:Parker Brothers games]]
[[Category:Selchow and Righter games]]