Mastering the Game of Words & Letters

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kids word games

Last Updated on November 8, 2019

With winters just around the corner, all I can think of is game nights with friends and families, hot chocolate with a deliciously baked desert. When it is game night then scrabble has to be part of the many fun and competitive nights spent in laughter, giggles and just a whole lot of happy memories.

While we are at it, are you aware of the history of one of the most important and must-have favorites of board games? It was invented by an architect Alfred Mosher Butts who was an affectee of the Great Depression that crashed the world economy in 1929. In 1933, out of boredom and curiosity, he invented the game of scrabble by combining anagrams and crossword puzzles.

This game of chance and skill was initially known as ‘Lexiko’ which was not accepted by the larger group of game manufacturers until Alfred met with James Brunot, an entrepreneur who had a vision for game development. He saw through Alfred’s invention, helped in redesigning the game and came up with the name ‘Scrabble’ – to grasp, collect and to hold.

Let’s unscramble the game of words, learning some of the key strategies to help you win every time you plan to play even if it is after many many years.

Trick No. 1

Keep an eye on the magic letters [A, E, I, L, N, R, S, and T]. These are the most commonly used letters in English. Even if you are experiencing a dry day with words, these are the essentials that come in handy in times of need.

Trick No. 2

Never place a common letter in the middle square. The rules say to pick a tile before drawing up the rack. So the advantage goes to the person closest to the letter ‘A’, who gets a bonus of starting a word from the star, along with a double-word score. Also, avoid using a vowel there as it gives way to the next player to reach a triple word score on the edges.

Trick No. 3

Memorize Two and Three letter words! That’s right, less is more. They are one of the hardest words to pull off, but they score the most when used wisely. You can use words like AX, OX QI, XI, ZEE or CHI to get 20 points straight away. They also help to get rid of excess vowels and building a bridge for your next turn. This game helps your child to have an early childhood education.

Trick No. 4

Maximize your score by placing letters around bonus squares. Use the double/triple letter spaces to its maximum, even if it is not a high scoring word, still use these spaces. It will keep your opponents at arm’s length and cut down on their score.

Trick No. 5

Use the letter ‘Q’ sooner than you might regret. Use it without the letter ‘U’ as well. Since its the most difficult to form a word with ‘Q’, use it at the first instance that you can.

Knowing your prefixes and suffixes is also very important. We have laid out the top 5 strategies to help you win the next game of words with ease. Using online tools can also be beneficial to help improve your game.