Scrabble Rules! Trivia Quiz

Answer: 2, 3, or 4

The game includes four letter racks.

Answer: The one who picks a blank

The player who draws the letter that is closest to the start of the alphabet goes first. The only exception is that a blank beats all of the lettered tiles.

Answer: The one seated to the left of the first player

After the first turn, each play passes to the left.

Answer: False

According to the rule book, players must return their original letters to the pool before drawing seven new letters at the start of the game.

Answer: False

The first player builds a word of two or more letters, with one of the letters placed on the center star. (This player automatically earns a "double word score"). The word reads from left to right, or downward. Upward and diagonal words are never allowed.

Answer: Yes

Players may exchange some, or all of their letters at the cost of losing a turn.

Answer: False

There is no limit to the number of times that a particular word can be used. Short words such as "an" or "is" will often appear on the board several times during a game.

Answer: Yes

The basic Scrabble rules allow for the use of a dictionary to be consulted for challenges only. Players should agree on which dictionary to use before the start of the game.

Answer: Yes

As stated in the rule book: "After players have become familiar with the game they may wish to vary the standard rules by suspending some restrictions, or adding others, and working out other changes. Any deviation from the standard rules, it is assumed, would be agreed to in advance by the players concerned.". --- One suggested variation includes an imposed minimum of 3, 4, or 5 letters for the first word played.

Another is to allow players to trade a blank from the board for the letter that the blank represents. Also, waiving the dictionary restrictions to allow for word searching and spell checks is suggested. Even changing the order of letters in a word is allowed, provided that at least one new letter is added and a new word is formed.

Answer: Yes

The rule booklet also suggests some solo variations of Scrabble. One method is for the player to challenge an imaginary opponent by using two sets of letter tiles. Another way to use the game individually is to turn all of the letters face up and deliberately use the dictionary to create high scores. Also, a player can simply keep track of his/her own tallies, according to the regular rules, as a form of self-competition.