How to play Scrabble (2024 rules)

Learn the rules to the board game Scrabble quickly and concisely - This video has no distractions, just the rules.

Don't own the game? Buy it here:
(As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases)

RULES:
The object of the game is to score the most points when the game ends. The game ends once 1 player has emptied their rack of all letters when the bag is empty, or if all the players pass twice in successive turns.

Lay out the board and give each player a tile rack. Mix up all the tiles in the bag and each player takes 1 tile. The player whose tile is closest to the letter “A” goes first. If it is a tie, try again. A Blank tile beats any letter. Return the tiles to the bag, then beginning with the starting player and proceeding clockwise, each player secretly draws 7 random tiles and adds them to their rack. Tiles should remain hidden from your opponents.

Each letter tile has a value as indicated by its number. Blank tiles have no value but can be used as any single letter. When played, you must declare its letter and you cannot change its letter later. The total quantity of each letter is printed on the board.

After each player has their starting tiles, the game begins. On your turn, you must form 1 new word on the board, or discard and draw new letters, or skip your turn. The very first word of the game must be at least 2 letters long and cover the center start square. After that, you must form words on the board that are horizontally or vertically connected to a previously formed word. Words always read from left to right and top to bottom, never backwards, upwards, or diagonally.

All placed letter tiles must be adjacent to each other in a straight line and be a part of the same word, you cannot place letters in multiple locations across the board in a single turn. You are allowed to create multiple words, by placing tiles adjacent to multiple words already in play. If you do, then all touching letters must form complete words. If even one word is incomplete, but the rest are good, you may not play there.

You may have any number of duplicate words on the board. After you place your word, you then score points based on the combined value of all the letters in all the new words you formed that turn. At least 1 letter needs to be added to a word for it to be considered a new word. Letters that are a part of 2 different words will be scored twice, once in each word.

If you covered a premium square, then that word will score bonus points. The Premium letter bonus only applies to the letter on top of it, while the premium word bonus applies to the total value of the word. Apply bonuses to premium letters first, before applying premium word bonuses. Blanks on premium word squares still activate the bonus. You can only score premium bonuses the turn you place a tile on that bonus. If you make a new word from an existing word that already had bonuses from a previous play, then you do not score those bonuses.

The center start square is a double word bonus. If you create a word using all 7 letters on your rack in a single turn, then that is called a “bingo”, and you receive a bonus 50 points after the word has scored. After you place your tiles, record your score on a score pad, then draw back up to 7 tiles and the next player goes.

You are allowed to use any word in the official Scrabble dictionary, or any agreed upon dictionary of your choice. Players may only consult a dictionary during a challenge. Illegal words that are not allowed, are: any word that is misspelled, made up words, proper nouns and proper names, foreign words, abbreviations, acronyms, freestanding prefixes and suffixes, hyphenated words, and words with apostrophes.

If you think someone’s word is illegal, you may challenge that word before the next player starts their turn. Look up their word in the dictionary. If the word is illegal, then the illegal word is returned to that player’s rack, and no points are scored and their turn ends. If the word is legal, then the word remains and points are scored, but the challenger loses their next turn.

If you are unable to play a word, or choose not to, you may trade in tiles for new ones from the bag. Place all the tiles you wish to trade facedown on the table, then draw the same number of tiles from the bag, then return the facedown tiles to the bag and end your turn. If you want, you may also choose to skip your turn without playing or discarding.

Keep playing until the bag runs out of tiles, then play continues without players replenishing their racks. Then the first player to play all the tiles in their rack ends the game. Or if all the players pass two times consecutively, then the game ends. Either way, players now subtract points from their score based on all their remaining tiles left in their rack. If a player had played all their tiles, they add the sum of all the other players’ unplayed tiles to their score. Then the player...

[JonjonPham]

The way Jim uses "Misspleled" and "Madup" as examples of illegal words at 3:40 are great. Thanks

[-WarMapping-]

The rules are the same as regular scrabble, with these changes. For a referesher of those rules, check out this video.

[LeotheTiger]

Sometimes I like to play Solitare Scrabble; the object of that variation is to use every single tile in the bag. If you have any left over, you lose. If the bag is empty, you win. (The closest I ever got was 3 tiles left in the bag.)

[RedSytheMMVI]

Could you please do a tutorial on the game of life goals card game? I never could grasp the rules but you're so good at explaining things

[qamaralshihni]

This is the best description I found ❤❤Thanks

[sophiegrey]

UN, ED and RE are valid words in both standard scrabble dictionaries. Pretty sure EN is, too. They're words by themselves.

The game can and often is also played with two players rather than four.

[doctorvenom]

Wait, there was a rule change for Scrabble?

[superprofi]

nice thanks. I was looking to buy this game

[bazookaman]

Scrabble : How to play
The objective of the game is to ruin friendships.

[JohnSmith-zwvp]

Okay, so it's only at the very end we finally get a rule change...the player who first went out gets as a bonus the added total of the other players' "leftovers". One thing I find fascinating as how the challenge rule adds a poker/bluffing element to the game. For example, you could play a really weird looking but legal word hoping your opponent will challenge it and lose their turn. OR you can play an illegal but reasonable sounding word hoping your opponent won't challenge. Also the capitalization rule only applies to words that are always used capitalized. So words like Jack and Japan are legal as they also have lowercase uses/meanings. Also acronyms are only illegal if they are always capitalized like AWOL. Ones that are usually used in lowercase like scuba or laser are legal.

[leoli]

Are you going to make a playlist of your remakes?

[enghse]

Geograhical place or sport'club can be used eg CHINA, or Liverpool

[meredithmackinnon]

Can you cash tiles if there are less the 7 left in bag

[occamsrazor]

At 1:22, what if I had all of those same letters on my turn, can we spell both those words on one turn?

[khangphuc]

how did he even apply the rules of illegal words to the illegal words

[DerekC-Offical]

Hasbro: wait, is prefix and suffix words allowed?

Triple S Games: you can’t use prefix and suffix words.

[jonasnielsen]

What was wrong with "BANDS"?

[addisonfung]

My Variation:
During a challenge, if the challenger successfully challenges an illegal word, they can either get an extra turn, or deduct the challenged player's points based on the value of that illegal word. The challenger gets to choose the bonus.
If it is your turn, and you have placed a letter on a "Double Word Score" or "Triple word score" when it isn't used, while forming multiple words using this square, you can multiply all the words you used in this turn.

[curioussquid]

can u cover what happens if you play a premium tile that connects for 2 words?
does it count as a double?
e.g i form zeaL and Land with the L on a double word score.
does the bonus count for both words?

[TheCheesyNachos]

I feel that the rule used to be that when you exchange the tiles, you used to just discard it rather than return it to the bag. Is this how the 2023 version differs?