Word Knowledge
is a key factor in Scrabble. Half of the following hints relate to
vocabulary. If you make an effort to learn new words your game will
improve.
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Suggestion
Write out your own word lists and read them over from time to time.
This will help you remember.
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1 Twos and Threes
These little words are the basis of the game. You need to know them.
There are only 119 two-letter words and just over 1200 threes. Many
of them are everyday terms. Work on the ones you are unfamiliar with
and the benefits will come.
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2 Fours and Fives
There are thousands of these. It will help you to become
acquainted with some of the more unusual ones. Concentrate on
particular groups, such as:
Hooks: Learn what comes
before and after commonly played 3- and 4-letter words, eg AZO takes
an L in front (LAZO) and an N at the end (AZON).
High letters Make a list of
words containing J, Q, X or Z (BENJ, QUENA, MIREX, FOZY, etc).
Sometimes these score as much as a bonus word!
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3 Too Many Vowels
This problem affects all Scrabblers. It helps if you can
learn some of the shorter ‘vowel-heavy’ words. After the twos
(AA, AE, AI, EA, EE, IO, OE, OI, OO, OU), make sure you know AIA,
EAU and EUOI. Then have a look at the 3-vowel fours, and the 4-vowel
fives, eg
AITU, EIDE, IURE, NAOI, UNAI
AIOLI, MIAOU, OUIJA, URAEI, ZOOEA
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Suggestion
Don’t be afraid to change. If your rack is AAIIIIO there is little
point in playing AIA for 8 points and keeping IIIO. In most cases it
would be better to change all seven tiles.
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4 Too Many I’s
This particular vowel problem occurs frequently. There are nine I’s,
and unlike the other vowels, no 3-letter word containing two of
them. Some words can get you out of trouble - KIWI and LIMIT for
instance. Why not make a list of 4- and 5-letter words with two I’s.
eg
ILIA, INIA, HILI, PILI, WILI
FICIN, RICIN, LIMBI, NIMBI, ZIMBI
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Suggestion
If you have three or more I’s on your rack, it is often best to
change.
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5 Q Without a U
The Q was once a real bogy letter, but now you should be able to
score well with it. Learn the Q-words that have no U, in particular
QI, QAT, QADI, QAID, WAQF, QANAT, QIBLA, TALAQ, TRANQ, QINDAR and
QINTAR. All these can have an S added.
Some Q-words contain a U, but not
following the Q, eg SUQ, BURQA, UMIAQ, QIVIUT.
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6 Stems
You may have heard other players mention SATIRE or RETINA words.
There are common 6-letter stems that combine with lots of other
letters to make bonus words. Because these letters are so common
they should appear on your rack regularly. As an exercise, perhaps
you could write out the RETINA stem and learn all the words that go
with it.
RETINA + A = nothing!
+ B = ATEBRIN
+ C = CANTIER, CERATIN, CERTAIN, CREATIN, CRINATE,
NACRITE
etc
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Suggestion
If you compile more of these lists, try to make the stem an actual
word. For example, the combination AEINST makes a 7-letter word with
every letter except Q and Y. Some Scrabblers know this best-of-all
stem as SATINE, others STAINE, neither if which is a word. Better to
call it TISANE, which is a word, then you won’t be tempted to play
something like SATINE or STAINES.
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7 Bonus Words
If you play out all seven tiles a 50-point bonus is gained. There
are certain things you can do to make it easier to spot these on
your rack.
Try shuffling the tiles around to
gain different perspectives. If you have a single high letter it
will often start the word. Look for beginnings and endings such as
be-, re-, un-, out-, dis-, over- and -ed, -ing, -ier, -iest, -able,
-less. Be aware of letter combinations like ‘tch’ and ‘ght’.
If you have an awkward-looking rack, maybe there is a compound word
hiding there, eg RAGWORT, BLUEJAY or COWPOKE. Sometimes you may be
able to use a letter on the board to make an 8-letter bonus word.
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8 Esses and Blanks
These are the most valuable tiles for making bonus words. Don’t
hesitate though to use an S in a shorter word if you can get a
reasonable score, particularly in the early stages of the game when
there are lots of goodies still to come, or if you have two or more
of them.
You should try to get a bonus word
with a blank, unless there is an especially high-scoring move
available using less letters.
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Suggestion
Playing out plenty of tiles increases your chances of picking up S’s
and blanks.
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9 Rack Control
Aim for a good score, while leaving a reasonable selection on your
rack. Sometimes it is desirable to sacrifice a few points. For
example, when holding ZOITINI, it is better to get 28 for ZITI
(leaving ION) than 33 for ZO (leaving IIINT). Try to maintain a good
balance of consonants and vowels.
In general get rid of duplicated
letters, particularly awkward ones like C, I, U, V, W. If your rack
is really bad, and there are no decent moves on, consider changing.
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10 Board Control
Avoid opening up high-scoring opportunities (particularly
triple-word squares) unless you are scoring highly yourself. If you
are well ahead, keep the board tight. Let your opponent take the
risks. However, if you are miles behind, try to keep the board open
so that there are places to get your bonus words down.
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Suggestion
If your opponent looks like taking a winning lead with an unfamiliar
word, CHALLENGE it! Always challenge the last turn if you are not
absolutely sure of the word — you have nothing to lose.
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11 Time Strategy
You have limited time to play the game. Use it wisely. As a
general guide, try to make about seven moves in the first 10
minutes of your allotted time, and five moves in the next 10
minutes. You should allow a minimum of 5 minutes for the endgame.
This is where many games are won and lost. Be aware of any key
letters unplayed - JQXZ, Blanks, S’s. What is your opponent
planning? Can you go out and catch him with some tiles? Look for the
best option.
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12 Luck and Attitude
On some days the words just flow; on others nothing seems to go
quite right. Accept your losses and your wins graciously. Don’t
be ‘psyched out’ when facing a superior opponent. The tiles may
go your way. Any player can beat a better one on occasions. Follow
these tips and it should happen more often.
Be Positive.
If you think you have a word, give it a try. Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.
Do your best, respect other players,
and above all
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ENJOY
THE GAME! |
[Note: These are general hints, some of which are obviously not
applicable in every situation.] |
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