Scrabble Tips to Score More Points

Taking the highest-scoring word available isn't always right if it leaves your rack full of awkward leftover letters. For example, if you hold A E I O U N Q, playing a short word that clears the Q for a blank later is often better long-term than forcing a low-value word that keeps you stuck with Q and no U.

A common rule of thumb: try to keep a rough mix of two to three vowels and four to five consonants after each play, since an unbalanced rack (say, four vowels and no consonants) makes it much harder to find your next word.

Short words are the connective tissue of a Scrabble board. They let you build 'hooks' — plays that turn one word into two by adding a letter to either end — which is one of the most reliable ways to squeeze extra points out of a crowded board.

Playing all seven tiles in one turn earns a 50-point bonus, which is often worth more than several ordinary turns combined. Racks containing common bingo-friendly letter combinations — such as an S, a common blend like ING or ATE, and a spread of vowels — are worth holding onto for a turn or two if a bingo looks close.

For example, a rack of A E I N R S T is one of the strongest bingo racks in the game because it can form words like NASTIER, RETAINS or ANESTRI depending on the board. WordCue's anagram solver can check a rack like this for every valid word it forms.

It's tempting to always play onto the nearest double or triple word square, but doing so often opens that same square up for your opponent's next word too. Sometimes the stronger play is a slightly lower-scoring word that blocks access to a triple word square rather than one that uses it but leaves it open on the crossing word.

There is only one J, Q, X and Z in the bag. If you're holding one late in the game and haven't found a play, consider whether exchanging it is better than holding it indefinitely — especially as the bag empties and your options shrink. WordCue's high-scoring words list is a good place to check the words a rare letter can actually form before deciding.

In the final few turns, count the remaining tiles. If you can work out exactly what your opponent holds, you can block their best plays or set up a final bingo you know they can't contest. Remember that unplayed tiles are subtracted from your score at the end, so holding onto an unplayable Q late in the game is costly twice over.