Looking for something to play that’s challenging and entertaining? If you’re a huge fan of word games, then you’ll love these board games like Scrabble.
1. Upwords
- Players make words by placing letters on the board and stacking letters on existing ones
- Turn based play ensures that everyone has a turn
- The higher a player is able to stack their letters, the better their score
- Includes gameboard, 100 letter tiles, 4 rubber feet, 4 tile racks
- The rules are similar to Scrabble, so users can easily start playing
- Ideal for children and adults
- Can be played in groups up to four or solo for extra practice
- Players need to be able to change their mind about words they will play when other players take their spot
2. Big Boggle
- Once the timer is started, all players have to search the available letters and try to make words
- Younger players can play by making words that are three letters long, but older or more advanced users make words that are four letters or more
- Players have to search for words that are formed by adjoining letters
- Each player gets three minutes to try to find as many words as possible, focusing on highest point values
- Words with more letters will get more points
- The double letter cube included in the game allows players the chance to make longer words more easily
- Great for players that are age eight and up, as long as they are spelling
3. Dabble
- Once players have their tiles in front of them, they all race to try to spell five words
- Players have to be able to use all of their 20 tiles when spelling words to win and they can swap out the tiles that they can’t use to take new ones
- The first person who can use all of their tiles in spelling words is the winner of the round and they get an addition 25 bonus points added to their score
- After someone has spelled five words, then all other players add the points on the tiles in their words to add up their score
- The first player to get to 100 is the overall winner
4. Perquackey
- Players roll 10 or 13 dice, depending on their score, and try to make words that have three or more letters
- Because players can only use a form of each word one time, they have to think outside of the box when coming up with words
- Additionally, there is a limit on how many words of each length you can make
- When the three minutes are up, players count up their points based on the words they make and they can earn bonuses for making specific types of words
- Rerolling is only allowed when a player gets all vowels or no vowels
- Great game for smaller groups
5. Bananagrams
- Players race against each other in an attempt to build a crossword grid out of their letters
- When any player is able to use all of the letters that they have, they shout “peel” and all players have to take on a new word tile
- Since new tiles are constantly being used, players may have to rebuild their word grid on a regular basis
- Great for smaller groups or families who are looking for a quick word game
- Speed is key as winners focus on moving quickly, not worrying about points on their letters or competing against each other
6. Juego de Palabras
- Players are challenged on their phonics skills as they race to form words in Spanish
- This timed game allows players a lot of breaks as they form words, which prevents players from feeling burned out or tired
- There are 112 color coded blocks that snap together easily to form words
- The blocks all have different letters and combinations of letters on them
- Perfect for two to four players to work together and to practice their Spanish spelling
- Scoring is easy, as are the rules, which means that most players can easily understand and start enjoying this game right away
7. Quiddler
- Short word game that plays quickly and is great for players age eight and up
- Challenging for both beginners and for more advanced players, which means that children and adults can play together
- Players have to arrange the cards that they have in their hand into words
- Each round, players will have more cards dealt to them, making it both easier to make new words and harder to use all of the letters
- Highest score at the end of the game will win
- Players can use the double letter cards to try to increase their scores
- Thanks to the two bonuses in each round, players can try to score higher
8. Wordical
- Players have consonant cards in their hands and then roll the vowel dice to try to create new words
- The player who can make the highest-scoring word wins the round
- There are two vowel dice and 108 consonant cards
- While players can take their time making words, they need to hurry, as the last word played will only score one point
- Great for learning how to spell and for friendly competition
- Point rules can be adjusted to make the game more accessible and enjoyable for younger players, if necessary
- Great for two to eight players who are age eight and up
9. Play on Words
- Great for one person to work on vocabulary or for teams to compete against each other
- There are 80 cards, including wild cards, flip cards, combo cars, and letters
- Thanks to the additional special cards in the game, it is much more than simply building words with the cards in your hand
- Players are dealt their cards and then try to form words, taking into consideration the special cards that they hold
- Since all cards are played face up, there is very little pressure on new players to be able to win, as more advanced players can help them with their spelling and their scoring, reducing the stress of the game
10. Double Quick
- Up to four players can play at once and compete by building crosswords from their letter tiles
- The timer goes off every 30 seconds, causing all players to take two more tiles and add them to their pile or crossword
- Players can score double points on some letters by using them in two words
- Some letters have higher points because they are more difficult to use in the game
- When the t
imer is up, all players will count their points to see who won the game - There’s not a lot of pressure as all players work in their own space
11. Snatch
- As soon as players see a word in this game, they have to yell it out and grab it to take control of it
- However, other players can easily take words back by adding a letter to it to create a new word
- As the words grow, players get more excited and louder and the game becomes more competitive
- There is no slowing down, and players don’t take turns, which adds to the excitement of the game
- Because players have to constantly be looking for new words and for ways to improve on already created words, they need to be able to change their strategy at the last second
12. WildWords
- Players try to create very long words to score the highest
- The board is designed to encourage players to opt for longer words instead of trying to use short ones to score the most points
- Strategy is a large part of the game and plays a bigger role than having a large vocabulary
- Typical games only take 18 turns, which means that the game plays quickly and it is difficult to get bored
- Features 12 wild tiles that can be used to represent one or more letters at once in a word
- Wild tiles can be used in any way in multiple words
13. Nerdy Wordy
- Players compete to make two to five letter words
- All words are played on a 5 x 5 grid and can connect like a miniature, personal Scrabble board
- There are two trays and two sets of letter cubes, so players have their own components to work with and don’t have to fight for use of the pieces
- While it is designed for just two players, it’s possible to buy more sets so that large groups can all play at once
- The compartments snap tight for easy storage and travel, making this a great game to take on the road
14. Tuf-Abet
- Two to four players can enjoy this game and since they all play simultaneously, nobody has to wait for a turn
- Individual play means that there is little stress over someone playing their tiles where you wanted to put a letter
- Each player has their own set of cubes to use and tries to use as many of their 20 cubes as possible
- The letters on the cubes are randomized before play begins by rolling them, which means that no player will have the same letters
- Players have three minutes to complete their grid until someone wins, and then two more to try to beat the first winners’ score
15. Typo
- In each round players have to choose a card from their hand to connect to the cards that are on the table
- After placing cards, players need to name a word that begins with the displayed letters
- If players are unable to place a card or name a word, then they have to pick up all of the cards from the table
- The first person who can get rid of all of their cards is the winner
- Encourages players to learn new vocabulary words while they are playing
- Great for small groups who are interested in improving vocabulary and word comprehension