- Score sheets
- Word and party games
- Scrabble
How to score Scrabble
To score Scrabble, add the values on the tiles of every word you make in a turn, then apply the premium squares your new tiles cover. Using all seven tiles at once adds 50. When the game ends, everyone subtracts the tiles left on their rack, and whoever went out adds them.
- 2 to 4 players
- Seven tiles on your rack
- Ends when someone goes out
- Highest total wins
Tabletales is free on iPhone and iPad.
This is the real Scorepad, live: each hand is one round of turns, and hand 13 is the leftover tiles. Mara’s last turn goes in as 22 + 2, one number for each word.
Scrabble
- BGG #2446
- 90 min
The crossword game: draw seven letter tiles, build words across and down a shared board, and score the letters you lay, boosted by the premium squares they land on.
Year, players, time and rank from BoardGameGeek.
How to play Scrabble, in brief
Two to four players build crossword-style words on a shared board from letter tiles drawn out of a bag. Every word scores, and the highest total wins.
- Draw your 7 tilesEach player draws one tile: closest to A goes first, and a blank beats every letter. Put them back and draw 7 each for your rack. A blank stands for any letter you name.
- Make a wordLay tiles in one line, across or down. The first word covers the center star. Later words must join tiles on the board, and all touching tiles must spell words.
- Refill your rackScore your turn and draw back up to 7. Instead of playing, you can swap tiles with the bag or pass.
- Play out the bagWith the bag empty, the game ends when someone uses their last tile or nobody can play.
Add the letters, then the squares.
Every tile shows its value in the corner. On your turn you score each word you made or changed, and the premium squares count only for the tiles you just put down.
What each tile is worth
| Tiles | Points |
|---|---|
| A E I L N O R S T U | 1 |
| D G | 2 |
| B C M P | 3 |
| F H V W Y | 4 |
| K | 5 |
| J X | 8 |
| Q Z | 10 |
| BlankWorth nothing, even on a letter square, but it still doubles or triples a word | 0 |
| All seven tiles in one turnA bingo, added after any doubling or tripling | 50 |
- Score every word you madeCount the main word and every short word your tiles formed across it. A tile shared by two words counts in both.
- Letters first, then the wordDouble or triple a new tile on a letter square first. Then double the word for a double word square (the center star is one) or triple it for a triple. A word covering two double word squares counts 4 times, and two triples 9 times.
- Use a square onceA premium square only counts on the turn a tile first lands on it. After that it scores like any other square.
- Add 50 for a bingoPlay all seven tiles in one turn and add 50, after the word is doubled or tripled.
- Settle the racksThe game ends when the bag is empty and someone plays their last tile, or nobody can play. Everyone subtracts the tiles left on their rack, and whoever went out adds the total of everyone else’s.
The last round: Mara goes out, and wins.
Three players and an empty bag. Dev plays, You play, then Mara lays her last three tiles, which ends the game. This is hand 12 on the Scorepad above, and the leftover tiles go in as hand 13.
| Player | Every word made this turn | Turn |
|---|---|---|
| You | JOT on a triple word square (J 8, O 1, T 1)10, tripled: 10 + 10 + 10 | 30 |
| Mara | ZEN with the Z on a double letter (20 + 1 + 1), and her N under an O already on the board makes ONZEN, then ON: 22 + 2 | 24 |
| Dev | WAKE with the K on a double letter4 + 1 + 10 + 1 | 16 |
Count the words. Tabletales keeps the column.
Tabletales is a scorepad and scrapbook for game night. In Scrabble you count each turn at the board. Type every turn on the Scorepad and it keeps each round, the leftover tiles and the total.
- A row for each roundLeave the game on Highest wins and switch to By hand: each hand is one round of turns, with everyone’s turn side by side.
- One number per wordType each turn’s score, or type it word by word (22 + 2) and Tabletales adds it up. There is no × key, so work out a doubled or tripled word first, or add it again: 10 + 10 + 10.
- Leftover tiles, as a last handAdd one more hand for the racks: plus for whoever went out, and for everyone else tap ± and type what their tiles are worth.
- And the night is keptSave it with who played and a photo of the board. Scrabble gets its own page too: how often you play, who with, and who holds the high score.
- Everyone who was there
- Photos from the table
- Scrabble, with its scores
Common Scrabble scoring mistakes
- Using a premium square twiceOnce a tile covers it, the square scores like a plain one for every later word.
- Doubling the bingoThe 50 goes on after the word is doubled or tripled, so it is always exactly 50.
- Scoring only the main wordEvery word you formed or changed scores, short cross words too, and a shared tile counts with its premium in each.
- Doing half the rack adjustmentEveryone loses the tiles left on their rack, and the player who went out also gains the sum of everyone else’s.
Scrabble scoring, answered
- How do you keep score in Scrabble?
- Each turn, add the tile values of every word you made, apply double and triple letters to the new tiles, then double or triple the word. Keep a running total for each player, and settle the leftover tiles when the game ends.
- What happens to leftover tiles at the end of Scrabble?
- Each player subtracts the value of the tiles still on their rack. A player who used all their tiles adds the total of everyone else’s leftovers.
- How do double and triple word scores work in Scrabble?
- Add up the word with any double or triple letters under your new tiles, then double or triple the whole word. A word covering two double word squares counts 4 times, and one covering two triples counts 9 times.
Scrabble score sheet
Print one for the table: four players and twenty-five turns, with the turn score and a running total for each, and the leftover tiles at the bottom.
Score another game
The rule books differ at the edges. Hasbro’s US rules break a tie in favor of whoever led before the leftover tiles were counted (Tabletales gives every tied player the trophy, so settle that by hand); Mattel’s give no tiebreaker and also end the game when every player passes twice in a row. Most tournaments instead give the player who goes out twice the opponent’s leftovers. Rules checked on 19 October 2026 against Hasbro’s rules, Mattel’s rules and Wikipedia. Scrabble is a trademark of Hasbro in the US and Canada and of Mattel elsewhere. Tabletales is not affiliated with either.
Keep score tonight. Keep the night for good.
Tabletales adds up every hand, then saves the whole night: the games, the scores, the photos and who was there.
