Scrabble is one of those games that might not seem appealing initially, but once you start playing it, you are starting to notice that you are hooked. It is safe to say that you’ve been bitten by the Scrabble bug. Don’t worry, and you’ll survive. There are millions of people who are addicted to this game, so all you can do is join their community and play with/against them. Now, Scrabble is a perfect mixture of a board game, sound strategy, and language.
Although it is very addictive and entertaining, it’s not so easy to play, especially if you want to win. In order to be the master of it, you have to continually work on your skills and develop various superb tactics that are going to help you beat everyone. Want to reveal them? These tips might just help you do it.
What Are They?
Avoid common letter on the middle square
If you are familiar with the rules of this game, then you know that it begins once the players randomly choose a tile before they draw their racks. The player who has the letter that is nearest to A starts first and also obtains a bonus of utilizing the center star. Now, what we advise you is to stay away from vowels T, S, R, and D because if you do, then the person who plays after you will easily get the triple-word scores at the edges. Therefore, if you can, avoid them.
Prefixes and suffixes
One of the tactics that can help you crush your opponents is to know a lot of words with prefixes and suffixes. The most common examples when it comes to suffixes are ITE, S, TION, ED, AL, ER, CY, ING, TRI, LY, NESS, ENT, ITY, FUL, IEST. On the other hand, frequently used prefixes include MIS, NON, PRE, EX, and TRI.
For instance, if there’s a word ROCK, you can add the suffix ER and get the word ROCKER. On the other hand, if you want a good idea for a prefix, you can use the word SENSE and add NON to it to get NONSENSE. There are so many great examples. Make sure to remember this strategy because it will help you rack up some points.
Explaining More Outstanding Methods
Points are not everything
It’s no secret that most people are here for the points. Some of them are even prone to unscrambling by using various programs to get the highest scoring words. And that’s okay, but sometimes what you leave on your rack is more relevant. Just think of all the letters that you’ve left behind.
What’s the case with them? Are you closer to bingo, or are they high point tiles that actually don’t go well when combined? At times, playing fewer letters can be a better option because it will allow you to get the necessary tiles to make the big play.
Two and three-letter words
According to some experienced players, this is one of the most important tips you can get if you want to win this game. Take some time to remember as many two and three-letter words as you can. If you can’t think of any of you want to learn more, just go online and find websites that can help you. Luckily, there are so many out there.
Use the letter S
Professionals who have been playing this game for a long period of time are quite familiar with the letter values. One of the most valuable ones is the letter S. With it, you can even make two words. How can you do it? For instance, you can simply add it to the end of the word on the board to create the plural version. At the same time, you’ll be getting a completely new word. Still, it’s worth mentioning that Scrabble comes with only four “s” tiles, so ensure to use it wisely.
What about the letter Q?
This one is “pretty scary,” and every expert will confirm that. The problem with it is that there aren’t enough words that contain it. Therefore, it’s one of the toughest letters. That’s why it’s advisable to use it as soon as possible. Further, if the power spot is open, putting this letter could be a great move.
So Many Rules…
Yet so interesting. No matter how complicated it may seem to be, you simply can’t get enough of it. These tips are intended for all skill levels, so make sure to remember them and use them the next time you play this game with your friends and family. There are more useful tricks, but these will do you good for now.