Top 10 Words You Can Now Use in Scrabble
#9: Puggle
Designer dog breeds are ever changing and evolving, but one mix that has become a mainstay is the puggle. A mix between (you guessed it) a pug and a beagle, these short-nosed, wrinkly faced doggos are real cuties. Puggles have been around since the ‘80s, but have really risen in popularity in the last two decades. And now, they’re even represented in Scrabble! You can use your knowledge of this new allowance to use the word on its own, or nab a spot on the board by adding the “G-L-E” to an existing “pug”.
#8: Emoji
For better or for worse, emojis have become part of our cultural lexicon, and are used on the daily by millions of people. In 2015, Oxford Dictionaries even called the “Face with Tears of Joy emoji” their word of the year, in a controversial move. Now the originally Japanese word “emoji” is acceptable in Scrabble, and with that hard to use “J”, it could be a handy thing to pull out at the right moment. Similarly, the phone-related word “selfie” was added to the Scrabble dictionary in 2014.
#7: Facepalm
Another inextricable part of our modern society is the facepalm, a gesture signifying embarrassment or shame over having done something totally stupid (or witnessing someone else do so). There is some debate over when the word originated, with Macmillan Dictionary saying it was 2006 and others claiming it was earlier in 2001. The Oxford English Dictionary added it to their lexicon in 2011; and now it’s permissible in Scrabble, as of 2018! Another 8-letter word, it may be tricky to find a place for it, but if you manage, you’ll rack up that 50 point bonus.
#6: Bestie
According to the official Scrabble rules, certain types of words are not allowed, like standalone prefixes and suffixes as well as abbreviations. So you’d think it would stand that a word like “bestie”, which is an abbreviation of sorts for “best friend” would not be allowed. As of 2018 however, the official Scrabble dictionary will include the word, likely because it has become a commonly used one in its own right and is no longer considered simply an abbreviation. And it’s the perfect one to play if you’re trouncing your own bestie, to add insult to injury!
#5: Sriracha
Looking back, we’re pretty sure that this is the condiment that will define the 2010s. These days, people put sriracha on pretty much everything, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a millennial home without it. So if the people at Scrabble are trying to appear to the younger generation, then they’re making a good bet by including the formerly Thai-only “sriracha” in their dictionary. Like some of the other words on this list, we’re guessing this’ll be a tricky one to use because of its length, but considering it starts with an “S”, that makes things a little easier.
#4: Listicle
In our wired (and wireless) fast-paced modern age, the listicle reigns supreme when it comes to how to like to get our information. Heck, you’re watching a video listicle right now! And hey, it’s not a surprise why. Listicles impart info in short, entertaining and digestible bits and have become a huge part of our culture. So it comes as no surprise that they’re now being recognized by Scrabble. Since the word is mostly made up of common, low-value letters, it should be a simple one to put together!
#3: Ew
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While old-time Scrabble purists may be tempted to say, well, ‘ewwww!’ this extraordinarily common exclamation has finally made the cut. And just think of how useful it can be as a word option! Peter Sokolowski, Editor-at-large at the esteemed Merriam-Webster weighed in with his take: "I think 'ew' is interesting because it expresses something new about what we're seeing in language, which is to say that we are now incorporating more of what you might call transcribed speech.” We totes agree.
#2: Twerk
If you want extra confirmation that Scrabble is not a stodgy game, here it is. In a clear ploy to engage potential players who are, like, under the age of 65, Scrabble has decided to add “twerk” and its derivatives to its dictionary, as of 2018. Honestly, they’re a bit late to the game on this one since people haven’t really been buzzing about “shaking the buttocks while squatting” too much since approximately 2014, but hey we can’t expect them to be totally with the times. Twerk it, Hasbro!
#1: ok
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Yes, Scrabble players, it’s finally happened. This ubiquitous word is now good to go. Here’s Merriam-Webster’s Peter Sokolowski again: "’OK’ is something Scrabble players have been waiting for for a long time”. He goes on to call two and three letter words, “the lifeblood of the game”. The 4-letter spelling “o, k, a, y” was always considered, um, okay, but the two-letter variant was verboten because of its capitalization placed it in the category of an acronym. But now, the lowercase version is . . . ok! Ok?
