Scrabble Glossary

179 entries

TERM	DEFINITION
ADJUDICATION (WORD LOOKUP)	The process of ruling on the validity of a challenged word, typically by consulting an official word judge, a designated software tool (such as Zyzzyva in Word Judge mode), or a tournament director.
AEROLITH	A free web-based flashcard tool for studying Scrabble word lists. See https://aerolith.org/.
ALPHAGRAM	A word's letters arranged in alphabetical order (e.g., RETINA → AEINRT). Players study alphagrams to recognize patterns and find words more easily.
ANAGRAM	A word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or set of tiles.
ANAMONIC	A short memory phrase used to help remember which letters combine with a stem to form a bingo. See the PDX Scrabble anamonics study page.
APPEAL	A request for a ruling to be reviewed by a higher authority such as a head director or appeals committee.
APPEALS COMMITTEE	A group designated to review disputed rulings; their decision is final within the tournament.
BACK HOOK	A single letter added to the end of a word to form a new valid word (e.g., FORGE → FORGET). See the hook lists on this site.
BINGO (BONUS / SEVEN)	A play that uses all 7 tiles on your rack, earning a 50-point bonus. The word played may be 7 or 8 (or more) letters long — the bonus is for using all 7 rack tiles, regardless of word length.
BLANK	A tile with no letter (and no point value) that can represent any letter. Blanks are among the most powerful tiles in the game because they make bingos much easier. See POWER TILES.
BLOCKER (BLOCKING MOVE)	A defensive play that closes off scoring opportunities on the board.
BLOCKING MOVE	SEE BLOCKER (BLOCKING MOVE).
BLOWOUT	A game won by a large margin (spread).
BOARD VISION	The ability to find and evaluate hot spots, bingo lanes, and board geometry quickly.
BONUS	SEE BINGO (BONUS / SEVEN).
BONUS SQUARE	A square on a Scrabble board that gives an extra scoring bonus: double-letter, triple-letter, double-word, or triple-word; also called a premium square.
BRAILING	Illegally feeling tiles in the bag to identify them by touch — particularly to find blanks, which may have a subtly different texture. Tournament tiles (see TOURNAMENT TILES) are designed to prevent this. Brailing is a serious rules violation.
BURN	Using a valuable tile (such as an S or blank) for less than its full scoring potential, usually for strategic reasons.
CARDBOX	A physical or software-based spaced-repetition flashcard system for studying Scrabble words. See ZYZZYVA.
CASE [LETTER]	The last remaining tile of a specific letter. When only one of a given letter is left unseen — in the bag or on your opponent's rack — it is called "the case [letter]." Knowing the case tile is critical in endgame planning.
CENTER STAR (STAR)	The middle square on the board. The first word must cover it, and it counts as a double word score.
CHALLENGE	Questioning whether an opponent's word is valid. A correct challenge removes the word; an incorrect challenge may be penalized depending on the rules. See DOUBLE CHALLENGE, SINGLE CHALLENGE, POINT PENALTY CHALLENGE.
CHALLENGE WINDOW	The period during which a challenge may be initiated before the next draw or play.
CHANGE	SEE EXCHANGE (CHANGE / "PASSING N").
CLOCK (TIMER)	A chess-style device used to track each player's thinking time. (Only some electronic chess timers are acceptable as they need to keep running when the time goes below zero).
CLOCK MALFUNCTION	A failure of the game clock requiring director intervention and possible reconstruction of time.
CLOCK STOPPAGE	SEE STOPPAGE.
CLOSED BOARD	A board position where most lanes and hot spots are blocked, making it difficult to score or play bingos. Contrast with OPEN BOARD.
COFFEE-HOUSING	Attempting to distract or mislead an opponent through table talk, exaggerated reactions, false hesitation, or other unsportsmanlike behavior. Prohibited in tournament play.
COLLINS	SEE COLLINS SCRABBLE WORDS (CSW / COLLINS / SOWPODS).
COLLINS SCRABBLE WORDS (CSW / COLLINS / SOWPODS)	The main word list used outside North America. See https://www.collinsdictionary.com/.
CONSOGRAM	A way of writing a word by separating consonants and vowels (e.g., RETINA → NRT + AEI).
CONSONANT-HEAVY	A rack with too many consonants, making it harder to form words.
COUNTBACK	End-of-game score adjustment based on leftover tiles.
COUNTER	A high-point tile (typically worth 5 or more points), such as J, Q, X, or Z.
CROSS-TABLES	A website recording tournament results, ratings history, and player statistics for NASPA-sanctioned events. See https://www.cross-tables.com/.
CSW	SEE COLLINS SCRABBLE WORDS (CSW / COLLINS / SOWPODS).
CUM (CUMULATIVE SCORE)	A player's running point total across all games in a tournament. Used as a tiebreaker when two players have the same win-loss record: the player with the higher cumulative score ranks higher.
CUMULATIVE SCORE	SEE CUM (CUMULATIVE SCORE).
DEFENDER	A word ending with a letter like C, K, or V that does not form common two-letter words in North American play, making it harder to hook. Note: this usage is not standard across all clubs.
DELAY OF GAME	Unreasonable slowing of play; may result in warnings or penalties.
DIRECTOR (TD)	The official responsible for administering a tournament, enforcing rules, and making rulings.
DIRECTOR’S DISCRETION	Authority granted to a director to make decisions in situations not explicitly covered by rules.
DLS (DOUBLE LETTER SCORE)	A square that doubles the value of a single letter.
DLS-DLS	SEE DOUBLE-DOUBLE (FOUR-TIMER).
DOUBLE CHALLENGE	A rule (used in North America) where an incorrect challenge results in losing your turn.
DOUBLE LETTER SCORE	SEE DLS (DOUBLE LETTER SCORE).
DOUBLE WORD SCORE	SEE DWS (DOUBLE WORD SCORE).
DOUBLE-DOUBLE (FOUR-TIMER)	A play that covers two double word squares, scoring four times the word value.
DOUBLE-TRIPLE	A play that covers both a double-letter score and a triple-word score, yielding a 6x letter bonus for the tile placed on the double-letter score.
DUMP	Playing off unwanted tiles to improve your rack.
DUPLICATE	A Scrabble format where all players use the same tiles and board, competing to find the highest-scoring play each turn.
DWS (DOUBLE WORD SCORE)	A square that doubles the total value of a word.
ELO	A rating algorithm (originally developed for chess) that assigns numerical ratings based on game results. NASPA uses a modified Elo system: beating a higher-rated opponent gains more rating points than beating a lower-rated one.
ENDGAME	The final stage of the game when all tiles are known and no tiles remain in the bag.
ENTROPY	A measure of how much the score is likely to change — how "swingy" a game position is.
EQUITY	The true value of a move, accounting for its score, the quality of the tiles you keep (leave), and board position. The highest-equity play is not always the highest-scoring one.
EXCHANGE (CHANGE / "PASSING N")	Trading tiles instead of playing a word. Allowed only if at least 7 tiles remain in the bag.
EXTENSION	Adding letters to an existing word (e.g., CHANT → PENCHANT).
FALSE WORD	SEE PHONY (PHONEY / FALSE WORD/ NON-GO).
FLOATER	A useful letter already on the board that can help form longer words.
FLOOR DIRECTOR	An assistant to the tournament director who handles rulings and logistics during play.
FLOOR TD	SEE FLOOR DIRECTOR.
FORFEIT	A game awarded to one player due to the opponent’s absence or withdrawal.
FOUR-TIMER	SEE DOUBLE-DOUBLE (FOUR-TIMER).
FRONT HOOK	A single letter added to the beginning of a word (e.g., SLANDER → ISLANDER). See the hook lists on this site.
GOING OUT	Playing your last tile(s) to end the game.
GOING OVER	Exceeding your time limit (see OVERTIME).
GOODIES	SEE POWER TILES ("GOODIES").
HOLD	A pause requested after an opponent's move while deciding whether to challenge.
HOLD ABUSE	Excessive or strategic use of holds to disrupt play; may be penalized.
HOOK	A letter that can be added to the front or back of a word to form a new valid word. See the hook lists on this site.
HOT SPOT	An area of the board where a high-scoring play is possible.
ILLEGAL PLAY	A move that violates the rules of board formation or procedure.
IRREGULARITY	Any deviation from proper procedure, including misdraws, misplays, or scoring errors.
KEEP	SEE LEAVE (KEEP).
KITCHEN TABLE PLAYER	A player who does not play Scrabble extensively or regularly and typically has not had study or instruction beyond the rules printed with the game.
LADDER (STAIR-STEP / STAIRCASE)	A series of short plays building in one direction, often leading to a blocked board.
LANE	An open row or column where a long or high-scoring word (such as a bingo) could fit.
LEAVE (KEEP)	The tiles remaining on your rack after making a play.
LEXICON	The official word list used in a given Scrabble variant or tournament. Common lexicons include NWL (North America club/tournament), WOW (WGPO), and CSW (international).
MARGIN (SPREAD)	The difference between the players' scores.
MISDRAW	Drawing too many or too few tiles from the bag.
MISPLAY	An incorrect move that violates board configuration rules.
NASPA (NORTH AMERICAN SCRABBLE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION)	The organization that oversees competitive Scrabble in North America and maintains the NWL lexicon. See https://www.scrabbleplayers.org/.
NATURAL (NATURAL BINGO)	A bingo played using only the 7 tiles on your rack, without using an existing letter on the board (that is, a 7-letter word placed fresh on the board).
NATURAL BINGO	SEE NATURAL (NATURAL BINGO).
NEUTRALIZE (THE CLOCK)	To stop both players' clocks during a game interruption — such as a challenge or a director ruling. Either player may neutralize by pressing the clock button on their opponent's side. Time does not run while the clock is neutralized.
NON-GO	SEE PHONY (PHONEY / FALSE WORD/ NON-GO).
NORTH AMERICAN SCRABBLE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION	SEE NASPA (NORTH AMERICAN SCRABBLE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION).
NORTH AMERICAN WORD LIST	SEE NWL (NORTH AMERICAN WORD LIST / OTACWL / TWL).
NWL (NORTH AMERICAN WORD LIST / OTACWL / TWL)	The official word list used in NASPA club and tournament play in North America. The current version is NWL23. See https://www.scrabbleplayers.org/.
OFFICIAL SCRABBLE PLAYERS DICTIONARY	SEE OSPD (OFFICIAL SCRABBLE PLAYERS DICTIONARY).
OPEN BOARD	A board position with many available lanes and hot spots, giving both players opportunities to score and play bingos. Contrast with CLOSED BOARD.
OSPD (OFFICIAL SCRABBLE PLAYERS DICTIONARY)	A Merriam-Webster dictionary used in casual play and as the basis for North American club and tournament word lists; the competitive standard is now the NWL.
OTACWL (TWL)	SEE NWL (NORTH AMERICAN WORD LIST / OTACWL / TWL).
OUTPLAY (PLAY OUT)	A move that uses your final tiles and ends the game.
OVERDRAW	Drawing too many tiles from the bag by mistake.
OVERLAP (PARALLEL PLAY / UNDERLAP)	Playing alongside another word to form multiple new words.
OVERTIME	Exceeding your allotted time, usually resulting in point penalties.
PARALLEL PLAY	SEE OVERLAP (PARALLEL PLAY / UNDERLAP).
PASS	Choosing not to play a word or exchange tiles.
PASS OUT	To end a game after both players repeatedly pass; under many rulesets, six consecutive zero scores ends the game.
PASSING N	SEE EXCHANGE (CHANGE / "PASSING N").
PHONEY	SEE PHONY (PHONEY / FALSE WORD/ NON-GO).
PHONY (PHONEY / FALSE WORD/ NON-GO)	An invalid word that remains on the board because it was not challenged.
PLAY OUT	SEE OUTPLAY (PLAY OUT).
POINT PENALTY CHALLENGE	A rule (common internationally) where an incorrect challenge results in a point penalty rather than loss of turn.
POOL	SEE UNSEEN (POOL).
POST-MORTEM	Reviewing a game afterward to learn from it.
POWER TILES ("GOODIES")	The most influential tiles: the four S tiles and the two blanks (because of their extreme flexibility), plus the high-scoring J, Q, X, and Z.
PRE-ENDGAME	The stage when only a few tiles remain in the bag (usually fewer than 7).
PREMATURE DRAW	Drawing tiles before allowing the opponent time to challenge; typically penalized.
PREMIUM SQUARE	Any square that increases the value of a letter or word (DLS, TLS, DWS, TWS).
PRO-TILES	SEE TOURNAMENT TILES (PRO-TILES).
PROCEDURAL PENALTY	A penalty assessed for violating tournament procedures rather than word validity.
Q STICK	An endgame tactic that leaves an opponent stuck with an unplayable Q (or another difficult tile), gaining extra points.
QUACKLE	A free, open-source Scrabble analysis program used to study positions and improve play. See https://people.csail.mit.edu/jasonkb/quackle/.
RACK	The tiles you currently hold (and the physical holder).
RACK BALANCING (RACK MANAGEMENT)	Keeping a good mix of vowels and consonants to improve your chances of making strong plays.
RACK MANAGEMENT	SEE RACK BALANCING (RACK MANAGEMENT).
RANKING	A player's position in a rating system based on tournament results.
RATING	A numerical measure of a player's skill based on past performance.
RECONSTRUCTION	Rebuilding the game state after a major irregularity involving tiles, score, or board.
RULING	An official decision made by the director regarding gameplay or disputes.
SCORE CORRECTION	An adjustment made to fix an arithmetic or recording error.
SET-UP	A play that creates a strong scoring opportunity for a future turn.
SEVEN	SEE BINGO (BONUS / SEVEN).
SHAPE	An abstraction of the geometric arrangement of the existing tiles on a Scrabble board.
SIM	SEE SIMULATE (SIM).
SIMPLE PLAY	A play that forms only one word.
SIMULATE (SIM)	Using computer software (such as Quackle) to analyze the best possible plays.
SINGLE CHALLENGE	A rule where incorrect challenges are not penalized.
SOWPODS	An older term for a combined UK/US word list; now largely replaced by CSW. (It is an anagram of OSPD and OSW, merging British and American Scrabble word lists).
SPREAD	SEE MARGIN (SPREAD).
STAIR-STEP (STAIRCASE)	SEE LADDER.
STAIRCASE	SEE LADDER (STAIR-STEP / STAIRCASE).
STAR	SEE CENTER STAR (STAR).
STEM	A group of letters (usually 6) that can form many bingos when combined with one more letter. See the bingo stems study page on this site.
STICK	SEE Q STICK.
STOPPAGE	Any interruption where the clock is neutralized for a ruling or correction.
SWISS PAIRING	A pairing system matching players with similar records each round.
SYNERGY	The property of a rack where the tiles work well together to form words. A rack with good synergy has tiles that combine easily into bingos or high-scoring plays.
TAILOR (ONE'S RACK)	To make a play that yields a good leave, ensuring a playable rack and possibly a bingo on the next turn.
TD	SEE DIRECTOR (TD).
THE CLOCK	SEE NEUTRALIZE (THE CLOCK).
THROUGH-PLAY	A play that uses existing letters on the board (e.g., MEOW → HOMEOWNER).
TILE TRACKING	SEE TRACKING (TILE TRACKING).
TIME ADJUSTMENT	A correction to one or both players’ clocks ordered by a director.
TIME PENALTY	Points deducted for going into overtime.
TIMER	SEE CLOCK (TIMER).
TLS (TRIPLE LETTER SCORE)	A square that triples the value of a single letter.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR	SEE DIRECTOR (TD).
TOURNAMENT TILES (PRO-TILES)	Tiles with smooth surfaces used in competitive play to prevent identifying blanks by touch.
TRACKING (TILE TRACKING)	Keeping a written record of which tiles have been played, so you know what remains in the bag and on your opponent's rack. Most tournament players track tiles on their score sheet during the game.
TRIPLE LETTER SCORE	SEE TLS (TRIPLE LETTER SCORE).
TRIPLE WORD SCORE	SEE TWS (TRIPLE WORD SCORE).
TRIPLE-TRIPLE	A play that covers two triple word squares, scoring nine times the word value.
TURNOVER	The number of tiles used in a move.
TWL	SEE NWL (NORTH AMERICAN WORD LIST / OTACWL / TWL).
TWS (TRIPLE WORD SCORE)	A square that triples the value of a word.
TWS-TWS	SEE TRIPLE-TRIPLE.
UNDERLAP	SEE OVERLAP (PARALLEL PLAY / UNDERLAP).
UNSEEN (POOL)	Tiles not yet visible (still in the bag or on your opponent's rack).
VOLATILITY	The degree to which a game position is subject to large score swings. A player who is behind often seeks high volatility — opening the board to create scoring opportunities — while a player who is ahead prefers low volatility to protect their lead. Related to ENTROPY.
VOWEL CONSONANT RATIO	The balance of vowels and consonants in your rack or leave.
VOWEL DUMP	Playing mostly vowels to fix a vowel-heavy rack.
VOWEL-HEAVY	A rack with too many vowels.
VOWELITIS	A Scrabble player’s name for too many vowels — easily cured with a clever vowel dump or exchange.
WARNING	A formal notice issued by a director for minor infractions.
WGPO (WORD GAME PLAYERS ORGANIZATION)	An organization that runs tournaments using the WOW word list. See https://wordgameplayers.org/.
WGPO OFFICIAL WORDS	SEE WOW (WGPO OFFICIAL WORDS).
WITHDRAWAL	A player leaving a tournament before completion.
WOOGLES	A free online platform for playing and studying Scrabble. See https://woogles.io/.
WORD GAME PLAYERS ORGANIZATION	SEE WGPO (WORD GAME PLAYERS ORGANIZATION).
WORD JUDGE	An official or electronic referee used in tournament play to adjudicate word challenges.
WORD LOOKUP	SEE ADJUDICATION (WORD LOOKUP).
WOW (WGPO OFFICIAL WORDS)	The official word list used by WGPO clubs and tournaments, including PDX Scrabble. The current version is WOW24.
ZYZZYVA	A popular Scrabble study program (Mac/Windows) featuring a word lookup tool and cardbox (spaced-repetition flashcard system). See https://www.zyzzyva.net/.

179 entries