Word game score calculator

Whether you are settling an argument at the table, checking a score sheet or planning a play, the arithmetic is the same: letter values, letter squares, word squares, cross-words and the bonus for seven tiles. This page does it for you and shows every letter, so you can see where each point comes from. Scrabble is a registered trademark of its owners (Hasbro in the United States and Canada, Mattel elsewhere); this page is an independent calculator and is not affiliated with or endorsed by them, and it uses only the plain scoring facts of word games of this type.

How do you score a word in Scrabble-style games?

Add up the letter values of the tiles. A letter on a double or triple letter square counts two or three times, and then a double or triple word square multiplies the whole word. Letter squares are applied first. For QUIZ on a triple word square the letters add up to 22 (Q 10, U 1, I 1, Z 10), and 22 × 3 = 66. If you also form other words by placing the tiles, you add the score of each of those words too.

What are the letter values?

In the English set, 1 point: A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T, U; 2 points: D, G; 3 points: B, C, M, P; 4 points: F, H, V, W, Y; 5 points: K; 8 points: J, X; 10 points: Q, Z. Blank tiles are worth 0. The list further down the page shows how many tiles of each letter there are in the 100 tiles of the set.

What does a bingo bonus mean?

Using all seven tiles of your rack in one turn earns a 50-point bonus, called a bingo in North America and a bonus play elsewhere. It is a flat bonus added to the score of the play, not multiplied by the word squares. For BANDITS on a double word square the letters are 10, doubled 20, plus 50 for the bingo, 70 in all. Set “Played all seven tiles from the rack” to yes to add it. Note that a bingo needs seven tiles from your rack: a word of seven letters that uses a tile already on the board does not qualify.

How do blank tiles score?

A blank tile is worth 0 points, even though it can stand for any letter. Type blank tiles as lower-case letters on this page: QUIZ on a triple word square scores 66, but qUIZ with the blank standing for the Q scores 36 (letters 12 × 3). A blank on a letter square is still 0; a blank on a word square does not stop the word multiplier.

Do two word squares multiply together?

Yes. Covering two double word squares in one play multiplies the word by 4, and two triple word squares by 9; a double and a triple give 6. This page lets you choose up to two of each in a play. Premium squares count only on the turn a tile is first placed on them; a later word that uses the same tile gets no bonus from that square.

What is the value of the tiles left on my rack?

At the end of a game, the value of unplayed tiles is subtracted from each player's score, and if a player goes out, the other players' leftover values are added to that player's total. Use the rack tab to total your tiles: for example the rack Q Z ? A E I O is worth 24 points (blank 0).

Does this page find the best word?

No. It only scores a word that you type. It does not check whether the word is in a dictionary, because the word list depends on the game, country and edition, and it does not show the board. For the best play you need a word finder or an anagram tool.

Letter values and tile counts (English set)

The English set has 100 tiles (2 of them blanks) worth 187 points in total. The list shows the points per tile and how many of each letter there are:

• 1 point: A×9, E×12, I×9, L×4, N×6, O×8, R×6, S×4, T×6, U×4
• 2 points: D×4, G×3
• 3 points: B×2, C×2, M×2, P×2
• 4 points: F×2, H×2, V×2, W×2, Y×2
• 5 points: K×1
• 8 points: J×1, X×1
• 10 points: Q×1, Z×1
• 0 points: blank × 2

Other languages have their own sets with different values and counts; the figures here are for the English-language set only. We compared two independent listings, and they agreed on every letter.

The scoring order

First, give each tile its value. Second, apply the letter squares only to the tiles newly placed on them. Third, add the tiles up to get the base value of the word. Fourth, multiply by the word squares you covered. Fifth, add the scores of any cross-words formed by the same play, each calculated the same way with the squares under the new tile. Sixth, add the 50-point bonus if you used all seven tiles. The calculator takes the base score of cross-words as one number that you enter, since the tool does not see your board.

Worked example

Place QUIZ so that it covers one triple word square and no letter squares: the letters give 22 and 22 × 3 = 66. If the Z had been on a double letter square, it counts 2 × 10 = 20, so the letters give 32 and the word scores 96. If you used a blank for the Q, the same word scores only 36. A play of BANDITS on one double word square with all seven rack tiles scores (10) × 2 + 50 = 70.

Common mistakes

• Multiplying the wrong thing. A letter square multiplies only its own tile, a word square multiplies the sum of the whole word. A double letter inside a triple word makes that letter worth six times its face value; adding the letter bonus after the word has been tripled gives the wrong total.
• Counting old premium squares again. A premium square is used only on the turn when a tile is first placed on it. Letters you play through do not count their squares a second time, but their face values are included in the word.
• Tripling the bonus. The 50 points are added at the end and are not multiplied by word squares.
• Giving a blank its letter's value. A blank is worth 0, even on a premium letter square, and a word that includes a blank can still be multiplied by word squares.
• Forgetting the cross-words. Every new word you form scores, not just the one you wrote across. Add those scores in the box provided.
• Assuming this is an official ruling. Editions and clubs differ in details, even in what the seven-tile bonus is called. In a dispute, check the rulebook of the game you are playing.

Sources: Wikipedia, “Scrabble letter distributions” (English set: letter values, tile counts, 100 tiles, 187 points), cross-checked with the independent table “Scrabble Letter Values List” on wordfinder.yourdictionary.com, which agrees on every letter and on the blanks; Wikipedia, “Scrabble” (scoring order, word multiplier combinations, 50-point bonus for seven tiles, end-of-game adjustments, the trademark holders). The official rulebook of the game was not opened. Related: word counter, dice probability calculator, permutations and combinations, probability calculator and typing speed calculator.