Scrabble Techniques

Prefixes &Suffixes

• Shuffle the tiles around on your rack to find letter combinations you might not have noticed initially. It's particularly useful in the game to group letters together that form common prefixes and suffixes in the English language, such as RE-, DE-, PRE-, -ED, -ING, -IES and -IER. These groupings will help you both make your own words and add to the words already on the board.

Good Uses of the "S"

• Never place a word such as DOGS on the board using four letter tiles unless it somehow earns you a big score or blocks another player's move. You are better off putting down DOG and saving the "S" for later. You can easily use an "S" to make two long words at once by pluralizing an existing word horizontally and making another word that begins with that letter vertically (or vice versa). The letter "S" also makes it easier to score a "bingo" by using all seven tiles in your rack at once to earn a 50-point bonus. Instead of having to find a seven-letter word, you can use a six-letter word and pluralize it.

Think Ahead

• Just as in games like chess, you should think of future plays when placing a "Scrabble" word. You should practice good rack management by trying to keep at least one consonant or vowel on your rack after you place a word (unless you bingo, of course). That way even if you draw all consonants or vowels after your turn you should still be able to play a word on your next turn.

Learn the "Odd" Words

• Top "Scrabble" players use many words you would never hear in daily speech, but these words are key to success in the game because they use some of the high-value tiles. These include words such as ZA, XI, XU, QI, ZAX, QAT, QAID and QOPH. Buy an official "Scrabble" dictionary or get a list of the game's acceptable two- and three-letter words from the National Scrabble Association and study them before you play.