So, you love playing Scrabble, but if you have to sit through another family game of everyone else snagging the triple letter spaces right before your turn, you’re going to lose it. Or maybe you’re a wordsmith just looking for something a bit more engaging and exciting. We hear you and we want to help.
First, there’s no denying Scrabble is a classic that has inspired countless other games like it, and we’ve got some of those here for you. So, if you’re looking to trade in those seven-letter tiles for something new, read on to check out our list of 5 games like Scrabble.
Games Like Scrabble
- Letter Jam
- Werewords
- Bananagrams
- Point Salad
- Just One
Letter Jam
Players: 2-6
Playing time: 45mins
Unlike the bitter competition of Scrabble, players in Letter Jam will work together to create words using the letters visible to them. However, each person will be completely oblivious to what their own letter is, so they’ll be dependent on their teammates to help them out.
At the beginning of the game, players are dealt a set of letter cards, and they’ll begin by taking the first card and placing it towards the other players in the cardholder. Whether you’re playing with 2 players or 6, you should always be looking at 5 cards. Everyone will be scanning the cards to create clues — or words — that help each other guess their letter and move to the next before you run out of clues.
In both Scrabble and Letter Jam, players need to scramble and unscramble the letters to form the best word possible at any given moment. This is a great alternative if you’re looking for a letter game that requires players to work collectively.
Werewords
Players: 4-10
Playing time: 10mins
Within your small village, everyone has a role. Whether you’re the mayor, a villager, the seer, or the dreaded werewolf, you’ve got an important part to play.
Start the game by having the mayor choose the magic word that everyone will take turns asking yes or no questions to reach. The seer and werewolf will also know the word and will be secretly trying to help or hinder the players in reaching their goal of guessing the word — without being blatantly obvious. You have a limited time to guess the word so everyone needs to work quickly if they want to defeat the werewolf.
If you’re short on time, this is a great option, which is also more suitable for younger children. There are thousands of words to choose from, all varying in difficulty, so it’s a great game for the whole family.
Bananagrams
Players: 1-8
Playing time: 15mins
It’s a race to finish your crossword before your opponents. In Bananagrams, each player is creating their own word grid as fast as they can, using their letter tiles to spell out words and make their way through all 144 pieces.
“Split!” When a player shouts this, flip over your tiles and begin the construction! You won’t find individual point values on letters as you do in Scrabble, so speed is your only friend as you strategically maneuver your pieces around. But you can break apart your grid and rearrange pieces as needed. Don’t overthink it.
Using proper nouns and misspelling words will cost you in the end, so choose your words and letters carefully. This game is like a real-time racing Scrabble. It’s simple, yet addictive. Give Bananagrams a try on your next game night!
Point Salad
Players: 2-5
Playing time: 15-30mins
Will that head of cabbage get you ahead in the game? Make your way to the market to choose the produce you think will make the best point salad possible! It’s as simple as choosing cards, building your salad, and earning points.
Every choice you make can end up earning or losing you points in the end, so choose wisely. It’s all about balance. And while you won’t be building words in this game, you’ll find the vegetable cards more similar to letter tiles than you’d expect.
Every vegetable card has a different point value and when adding your condition points, you’ll find combinations created to be a bit like landing on a double or triple-letter square tile in Scrabble. The combinations of particular vegetable cards will help you rack up the points to secure a win.
Will your market haul be the big winner?
Just One
Players: 3-7
Playing time: 20mins
Are you and your friends all on the same page? Work together to create the best clues to find the mystery words and earn all 13 points to come out victorious.
Begin with one player drawing a card and choosing a number one through five without looking. The word listed here is what the other players need to correctly hint at. Use just one word to steer your teammates in the right direction. Choose carefully and creatively as duplicate words will be discarded, allowing for less of a chance of guessing the chosen word. A correct guess will earn you a point while an incorrect one will cost you two.
Just One is a great option for the love word game lovers who are looking for a game that’s a bit more interactive and can be played as a party game.
Wrap-Up
We hope you enjoyed our list of 5 games like Scrabble! You can’t go wrong with fantastic word games that get your brain going and challenge your vocabulary and critical thinking skills!
If you liked any of these games, we can guarantee that you’ll love these as well: Codenames, The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Codenames: Duet, Sagrada, and Wingspan.
We hope you’ve found an awesome board game alternative to Scrabble. Let us know which board game you like to play. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these games! Drop a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.
Liz has no objections to being referred to as “nerdy.” Maybe it’s the educator in her — or her maturity level— but when it comes to board games, those best suited for children are the ones that spark her interest. When she’s not looking for the next game to incorporate into the classroom or play with her niece and nephew, you can find her trying out nature-themed games like Wildcraft or Trekking the National Parks.