SCRABBLE® Secrets

17 Time for a Change

There is a great deal of skill in choosing the right time to change your letters, as well as which ones to throw back in the bag.

The first, and most important, tip on this subject is DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE. You may score zero on that particular turn, but if the alternative is to be left with a horrible combination of letters, like IIIUVVW, you may get stuck scoring 10 points per move for several turns. Say you average 20 points per turn, it’s better to change and score a likely 60 over the next three moves than 40 without the change.

18 Hold on to Your Retsina

The most 50-point bonus-conducive letters are AEINRST – generally, when throwing tiles in the bag, you want to keep one of any of these that you hold on your rack, as long as you leave a decent consonant to vowel ratio (i.e. 3:2, 2:2, 2:1, 1:1). The highest scoring letters JQXZ are only worth keeping if there are some tasty triple-letter and triple-word squares available to play onto the board. If the board is tight and especially if there are no floating vowels, the high-scorers could be rendered useless. The X and Z are generally more fruitful than the J and Q if you can’t resist holding one back.

19 Chuck ’Em In

In my opinion, the converse of AEINRST is FGJQUVW – i.e. these are the seven worst letters in the set. So, when changing, always get rid of these unless you have the Q with a U, a high-scoring place for the J, or a promising -ING combination. Even then you might be held back, especially if the board is tight.

You may be surprised about the inclusion of the G, but in my experience Gs are generally bad news. If you’re deciding to change, always throw back a V if you have one. V is the weakest letter of all, partly because it’s the only one that doesn’t form a two-letter word. As for the rest – BCDHKLMOPXYZ – they all have their merits and it depends on the state of the board as to whether any of them are worth keeping. Usually chuck them though.

20 To the Max

MAX- is a handy prefix and produces some lovely extensions:

MAXEDreached full extentMAXIlarge racing yachtMAXICOATlong coatMAXILLAupper jawboneMAXIMINhighest of set of minimum valuesMAXIMITEexplosiveMAXIMUSmethod rung on twelve bellsMAXINGreaching full extentMAXIXEBrazilian danceMAXWELLunit of magnetic flux

There’s also SUPERMAX – relating to the very highest levels of security.

21 Leave No Stone Unturned

Here’s a selection of words to a-stone-ish you:

ASTONEastonishBURSTONEhard rockCAMSTONElimestoneEARSTONEcalcium carbonate crystal in the earHISTONEDNA proteinICESTONEcryoliteLAPSTONEcobbler’s devicePOTSTONEused for making cooking vesselsROESTONElimestoneRUBSTONEused for sharpeningSTONERAGlichenSTONERAW"SUNSTONEfeldsparTINSTONEblack or brown stone

There’s also the nine-letter IRONSTONE, which is a very nice anagram of SEROTONIN, and LIMESTONE and MILESTONE are both anagrams of LEMONIEST and MELONIEST.

22 Take the Rough with the Smooth

Certain mini-combinations of consonants work really well together and are worth holding on to in the search for a 50-point bonus. They often tend to comprise both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ letters but it’s best not to keep back all ‘hard’ letters together and likewise all ‘soft’.

‘Hard’ consonantsBDFGJKPQTVX‘Soft’ consonantsHLMNRSWYZ

I’ve left out C as it can be both ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ – this adaptability is why it’s a particular favourite.

So……….

23 In-consonants

Consonant combinations particularly worth keeping back for potential bonus play:

BL, BM, BR, CH, CK, CL, CN, CP, CR, CT, DL, DN, DR, HP, KL, KN, KR, LP, MP, NT, PR, RT

BDR, BLR, BMR, CDR, CHN, CHR, CHT, CLR, CLT, CNR, CNT, CPR, CRT, DLR, DNR, DPR, DRT, GLN, GNR, HPR, HPT, KLN, KLR, KNR, KNT, LPR, LPT, MPR, NRT, PRT

An S is always worth holding on to in addition to these combinations. You will see they all contain at least one ‘hard’ and one ‘soft’ letter.

24 Not In-consonants

Consonant combinations to avoid (using 3-point or lower tiles):

BG, BP, CG, DT, GP, GT, LN

BDT, BGP, BGT, BPT, DGP, DGT, GPT, LNR

You will notice that all these contain either all ‘soft’ or all ‘hard’ letters. Of course, any combination with two of the same letter and you automatically look to offload the duplicate.

25 Licence to Thrill

It can be good anagram practice to look at car number plates and try to find the shortest word you can using all the letters within them. Add any extra letters you want but the less the better, for example:

SKO5 CYJJOCKEYS (beats JOYSTICK)NCL2 ENDINCLINED (beats DECLINING)OWO6 ETATEAKWOOD (beats TAEKWONDO)

This can be great fun and very satisfying on a long car journey but don’t forget to concentrate on the road as well. Of course, you won’t be able to find a word with all the plates – if you see QXO7 GJZ, give up immediately and move on to the next car.

26 Tasty Twosomes

There are some gorgeous seven- and eight-letter anagram pairs – here are some of my favourites:

APPRIZEZAPPIERBOGEYMANMONEYBAGCRUMPETSSPECTRUMDOORBELLBORDELLOELATIONTOENAILFLUSHINGLUNGFISH (freshwater fish)GHETTOEDDOGTEETH (carved ornaments)HOGMANAYMAHOGANYIFFIESTFIFTIESJITTERSTRIJETS (jets with three engines)KIDNAPSSKIDPAN (slippery area)LIMEADEEMAILEDMOORHENHORMONENAPPIESPINESAP (red herb)OOMPAHSSHAMPOOPRESUMESUPREMEQUERIESESQUIRERINGTONENITROGENSCREWTOPCROWSTEP (set of steps to the top of a gable)TAPEWORMPOMWATER (kind of apple)UTOPIANOPUNTIA (cactus)VIOLATEDDOVETAILWASPNESTSTEWPANSXEROTICEXCITOR (nerve)YACKERSSCREAKYZINCITECITIZEN

XEROTIC is not as kinky as it sounds – it relates to dryness of bodily tissues.

27 Americanisms

As a general rule, all US alternative spellings are allowed in Scrabble, so color, humor, neighbor, etc. are OK – like it or not. Also, almost every –ISE verb can be spelt with –IZE. It’s interesting that Collins is recognised everywhere in the World as the English Scrabble ‘bible’, apart from the US and Canada, where they use Webster’s. Since Collins incorporates all of Webster’s and a lot more, you ironically need to unlearn loads of words to play in the States. This seems a reflection of the US ‘we are the world’ attitude, so don’t bother playing serious Scrabble over there.

South America is a relatively unexplored continent dictionary-wise – there’s plenty of scope for future great words from that neck of the woods.

28 Monkey Business

‘I’m a Believer’ in monkeys – they keep ape-earing in the official Scrabble word list:

BANDARI

CEBID

COAITA

DOUC

ENTELLUS

GRIVET

GUEREZA

HANUMAN

JOCKO

LANGUR

MANGABEY

MICO

OUAKARI

OUISTITI

SAGOUIN

SAIMIRI

SAJOU

TALAPOIN

TAMARIN

VERVET

WANDEROO

ZATI

The beautiful CYNOMOLGI have to be worth a mention, however unlikely they are to jump out at you.

29 Slanguage

Slang words are perfectly allowable in Scrabble when they become common English usage. A lot of Australian slang appears, such as:

ALFan uncultivated AustralianSIKexcellentACCAan academicALKOalcoholicDACKto forcefully remove trousersDOCOdocumentaryDORBstupid personDRACunattractiveGOOGeggKEROkeroseneKYBOtemporary camping lavatoryMYXOmyxomatosisNOAHsharkUMPYumpireWARBinsignificant personFIRIEfirefighterNIXERspare-time jobUMPIEumpire

SLANGUAGE is a word in itself – a lovely front hook to ‘language’.

30 Feathered Friends

There are plenty of exotic -BIRD words to fly by you:

AXEBIRDnightjarBOOBIRDperson who boosCOWBIRDAmerican songbirdFATBIRDnocturnal birdGAOLBIRDperson confined to jailHANGBIRDbird that builds a hanging nestJAYBIRDjayKINGBIRDAmerican flycatcherLYREBIRDAustralian bird that spreads its tail into shape of a lyreMAYBIRDAmerican songbirdOVENBIRDsmall South American birdPUFFBIRDtropical American birdRICEBIRDbird frequenting rice fieldsSNOWBIRDbird of Arctic regionsWHIPBIRDwhistling birdYARDBIRDinexperienced soldier

31 Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations are not allowed in themselves unless they come into common conversation, in which case they become colloquialisms, for example AD for advertisement. The same applies to acronyms – there are a few crackers:

ASPROassociate professorBAMBIborn-again middle-aged bikerELINTelectronic intelligenceFEDEXfederal expressJATOjet-assisted take-offMIPSmillion instructions per secondNOXnitrogen oxidePOMOpost-modernismQUANGOquasi-autonomous non-governmental organisationRONZERsomeone from rest of New Zealand – not AucklandTASERThomas A. Swift’s electric rifleTWOCCINGtaking without owner’s consentWAACmember of Women’s Auxiliary Arms CorpsWOOPIEwell-off older personYABAyet another bloody acronym!

32 The Blank

The blank is without doubt the best tile in the Scrabble set. If you’re lucky enough to get both during the course of the game it will increase your chances of winning hugely, but you need to make the most of them.

If you get a blank early on, try and save it until you can use it in a 50-point bonus word. Never waste it on a move scoring less than 30 points.

Some players get really stuck when a blank appears – it’s not surprising when you consider there are effectively twenty-six combinations to think about. But try to envisage the blank as a particular letter on your rack – some are more likely to go well with your other six letters than others. Even so, moves with a blank tend to require a great deal more thought and it’s understandable they take longer.

As a general rule, use the blank when your move scores over 20 points more than one without it. Otherwise, hold on for a big play later – it’s worth the wait.

Two blanks together can be a real mind-blower as there are 676 potential combinations. Don’t panic: the more you play, the more you’ll get a feel for which letters you’re looking for them to be.

33 Bonus Play

If you can play out all your letters for the 50-point bonus, you’ll enhance your winning chances enormously. Achieving this once in a game is good, twice excellent and three or more times will almost guarantee you victory.

The art of bonus finding is innate to Scrabble success – much of it is to do with rack-balancing along with knowing some high-probability seven- and eight-letter words (i.e. those with the most common letters) to help find that killer move.

There are some great six- and seven-letter combinations to work towards to give yourself the best opportunity of making it happen.

34 Another Retsina

As well as having ten anagrams (you don’t need to know them all), RETSINA goes with more letters to make an eight-letter word than any other – so look for these floaters on the board:

A ARTESIAN (well)

B BANISTER

C CANISTER

D STRAINED

E TRAINEES

F FENITARS (European plants)

G ANGRIEST

H HAIRNETS

I RAINIEST

J NARTJIES (tangerines)

K NARKIEST

L ENTRAILS

M MINARETS

N TRANNIES

O NOTARIES

P PAINTERS

R TRAINERS

S STAINERS

T NITRATES

U URINATES

W TINWARES (objects made of tin plate)

35 Anties in your Panties

The six-letter combination ANTIES goes with more letters to make a seven-letter word than any other:

A ENTASIA (convex curve)

B BASINET (medieval helmet)

C CINEAST (film enthusiast)

D DETAINS

E ETESIAN (Mediterranean wind)

F FAINEST (most eager)

G SEATING

H SHEITAN (Muslim demon)

I ISATINE (yellowish-red compound)

J JANTIES (petty officers)

K INTAKES

L ENTAILS

M INMATES

N INANEST

O ATONIES (lack of muscle tone)

P PANTIES

R RETSINA

S NASTIES

T INSTATE

U AUNTIES

V NATIVES

W TAWNIES

X SEXTAIN (Italian verse)

Z ZANIEST

So only Q and Y don’t work. Note that there are several anagrams in some cases but knowing one is often enough.

36 Seating Room Only

Along with RETSINA, SEATING is the most prolific seven-letter word when it comes to anagrams – it has ten:

EASTINGdistance eastwardsEATINGSGAINESTstraightestGENISTAmember of broom familyINGATESentrancesINGESTAnourishmentTAGINESAfrican cooking potsTANGIESOrkney water spiritsTEASINGTSIGANEGypsy music

37 Man-alive

-MAN is a very productive suffix – here are some 7s and 8s you might not expect:

ADWOMANwoman working in advertisingBRIDEMANbridegroom’s attendantCHOREMANhandymanDRAGOMANMiddle Eastern guideEARTHMANinhabitant of the earthFACEMANminer working at coalfaceGLEEMANminstrelHELIMANhelicopter pilotIRONMANvery strong manJURYMANmember of a juryKEELMANbargemanLOCOMANrailwaymanMOTORMANdriver of electric trainOVERSMANoverseerPRIZEMANwinner of prizeQUILLMANclerkRADIOMANradio operatorSWEETMANman kept by a womanTOYWOMANwoman who sells toysUNWOMANto remove womanly qualities fromVERSEMANman who writes verseWATERMANskilled boatmanYEGGMANburglar

38 De-stress

Part of the attraction of Scrabble is it helps you forget about your worries while you’re concentrating on the game. Here are a few suggestions to make it an even more relaxing and positive experience:

(a) Sleep well the night before – a couple of beers or glasses of wine should do the trick

(b) Drink caffeine to stimulate your brain – not too much though as it might get a bit wayward

(c) Drink water – again in moderation as needing the loo will make you lose concentration

(d) Have a massage

(e) Play uplifting music – I find listening to lyrics and being silent (anagram of listen) much more productive than being loud and talking. Put together playlists with your favourite songs and get your earphones on before a game to get you in the right mood.

(f) Avoid stressful work and particularly bad bosses

(g) Avoid affairs

(h) Play in pleasant uncluttered surroundings

(i) Laugh at your opponent if they are over-competitive

(j) Support a winning football team, i.e. Barcelona or QPR

39 Wood You Believe It?

WOOD works really well as a prefix and suffix:

AGALWOODAsian treeBEARWOODbark used as a laxativeCAMWOODWest African treeDAGWOODEuropean shrubELMWOODwood from elm treeFATWOODkindlingGUMWOODgumtreeHAREWOODsycamoreINKWOODtreeKINGWOODwood of Brazilian leguminous treeLATEWOODformed later in tree’s growing seasonMILKWOODtree producing latexNUTWOODwalnutOVENWOODword for burning in ovenPEARWOODwood from pear treeSAPWOODsoft wood beneath barkWILDWOODforest growing in natural uncultivated stateWOODBINbox for firewoodWOODFREEpaper from treated pulpWOODHENflightless birdWOODLOREwoodcraft skillsWOODMEALsawdust powderWOODMICEfield miceWOODNESSquality of woodWOODNOTEnatural musical noteWOODROOFplantWOODSIAfernWOODSIERmore connected with woodsWOODSKINcanoe made of barkWOODTONEcolour matching that of woodWOODWALEgreen woodpeckerWOODWARDperson in charge of woodWOODWOSEhairy wild man of the woods

40 Against All Odds

ANTI- as a prefix gives rise to plenty of high-probability 7s and 8s – the meanings are mainly self-explanatory: