Frequently asked questions about Scrabble rules, scoring, dictionaries, and more
By Scrabble Solva · May 9, 2026
Scrabble is a classic word board game where 2-4 players take turns placing letter tiles on a 15×15 grid to form valid words. Each letter has a point value, and the goal is to score more points than your opponents by strategically placing high-value tiles on premium squares. Players draw seven tiles at the start of the game and replenish their rack after each turn. Words can be placed horizontally or vertically, must connect to existing words on the board, and must be valid according to the chosen dictionary.
A standard Scrabble set contains 100 tiles: 98 letter tiles and 2 blank tiles. The blank tiles have no point value and can represent any letter the player chooses. The distribution varies by letter — for example, there are 12 E tiles (the most common) but only 1 each of J, Q, X, and Z (the rarest and most valuable).
Premium squares are special positions on the Scrabble board that multiply your score. There are four types: Double Letter (DL) — doubles the value of the letter placed on it; Triple Letter (TL) — triples the letter value; Double Word (DW) — doubles the total score of the word; Triple Word (TW) — triples the total word score. Premium squares apply only to the first word placed on them in a game. If a word covers multiple premium squares, the letter premiums are applied first, then the word premiums are multiplied together.
A bingo (also called a bonus) is when a player uses all seven tiles from their rack in a single turn. Playing a bingo awards a 50-point bonus on top of the word's regular score. Bingos are the single most effective way to gain a big lead in Scrabble — finding a 7-letter word can swing a game by 60-80 points or more depending on placement.
CSW21 stands for Collins Scrabble Words 2021. It is the official word list used for international Scrabble competitions outside North America. Published by Collins in partnership with the World English-Language Scrabble Players' Association (WESPA), CSW21 contains over 279,000 valid words ranging from two-letter gems like QI and ZA to obscure 15-letter finds. Scrabble Solva uses CSW21 as its primary dictionary.
TWL (Tournament Word List) is the official word list used in North American Scrabble tournaments, managed by NASPA (North American Scrabble Players Association). TWL is a subset of CSW21 — it contains fewer words. Key differences include: CSW21 has more two-letter words (127 vs ~107), more Q-without-U words, and thousands of additional bingos. Words like CH, DA, GI, and TE are valid in CSW21 but may not be in TWL. Scrabble Solva's Safe Mode filters results to words found in both dictionaries.
Scrabble letter values are: A=1, B=3, C=3, D=2, E=1, F=4, G=2, H=4, I=1, J=8, K=5, L=1, M=3, N=1, O=1, P=3, Q=10, R=1, S=1, T=1, U=1, V=4, W=4, X=8, Y=4, Z=10. Blank tiles (2 per set) are worth 0 points but can represent any letter. Q and Z are the highest scoring tiles at 10 points each, followed by J and X at 8 points.
Safe Mode is a feature in Scrabble Solva that filters results to show only common, everyday English words. It hides obscure tournament-only words that most casual players wouldn't recognise. Safe Mode is great for family games, teaching new players, or when you want to play without confusing your opponents with words like QI, ZA, or DA. Behind the scenes, Safe Mode uses the intersection of CSW21 and TWL dictionaries to ensure every suggested word is widely recognised.
In official Scrabble tournaments, if a player challenges an opponent's word, the word is checked against the official dictionary. If the word is invalid, the opponent removes their tiles and loses their turn. If the word is valid, the challenger loses their next turn (in some rule sets) or incurs a penalty. In casual play, most groups simply agree on a dictionary and check disputed words — no penalties needed.
Yes, a player can pass their turn instead of placing a word. Passing scores zero points and play passes to the next player. Players may also choose to exchange tiles — discarding any number of tiles face-down and drawing the same number from the bag. Exchanging counts as your turn and scores zero points. You can only exchange if there are at least 7 tiles remaining in the bag.
When the tile bag is empty, players continue with whatever tiles remain on their racks. The game ends when one player uses their last tile AND there are no tiles left in the bag. At that point, the player who went out receives the total value of all remaining tiles on other players' racks as a bonus. Those other players deduct the value of their remaining tiles from their scores.
The fastest ways to improve at Scrabble: (1) Learn all two-letter words — there are 127 in CSW21, and knowing them instantly improves your parallel play ability. (2) Master bingo stems — six-letter combinations like SATINE, SATIRE, RETAIN, and TISANE can be completed with a seventh letter for a 50-point bonus. (3) Study Q-without-U words — QI, QAT, QAID, TRANQ, and FAQIR can save you when stuck with Q and no U. (4) Use premium squares wisely — plan your moves to reach Triple Word squares with high-value letters.
Q-without-U words are valid Scrabble words that contain Q but not the letter U. In CSW21, these include QI (11 points), QAT (12), QADI (14), QAID (14), QOPH (18), QAPIK (20), QAWAL (17), QIGONG (17), QWERTY (20), TRANQ (14), FAQIR (17), MBAQANGA (23), and more. Learning these is essential because if you draw the Q tile without a U, these words are your only options — and they can still score 20-30+ points.
Yes! Scrabble Solva is fully responsive and works on smartphones and tablets. The board and tile rack scale to fit your screen size, and touch controls let you tap cells to place tiles. You can use it on any device with a modern web browser — no app download required.
Yes, Scrabble Solva is completely free to use. There are no subscription fees, no account required, and no hidden charges. You can use the board solver, anagram finder, and all word list pages without signing up or paying anything. The site runs entirely in your browser and your board data never leaves your device.