Words Added to the Scrabble Dictionary

Definition: person who one loves

Very short words that are also vowel dumps are valuable for Scrabble players, and BAE offers a chance for some quick strategic plays, and an -S can be added to make this noun plural (and, who knows, playing this word might just endear you to your opponent).

Definition: to give a vaccine to

Another three-letter word gives some flexibility for the use of the high-point letter X. VAX is a verb that is a variant of VAXX, so the conjugations VAXED, VAXING, VAXES or VAXXED, VAXXING, VAXXES are all playable. A similar new pair of variants including X is DOX and DOXX, meaning “to publish private information about a person.”

Definition: a native of Puerto Rico

Scrabble strategy is not just about forming words with lots of vowels. Seven-letter words are especially valuable as a “bingo” for a 50-point bonus. A newly playable seven-letter word spelled with four different vowels like BORICUA (pronounced \boh-REE-kwah) is a valuable asset to find on your rack.

Definition: to use as a verb

Changes in playability of words for Scrabble are often direct results of how the dictionary treats a given word. Case in point: the venerable word VERB is now categorized itself as a verb, meaning that VERBED and VERBING are now playable. This phenomenon extends to other words newly verbed (see what we did there?) in this edition, including ADULT, TORRENT, SPITBALL, and RETWEET.

Definition: a hybrid between a zebra and a donkey

A new chance to play the Z tile is newsworthy for Scrabble players, and in this case we’ve added a few words for this hybrid animal, including ZEDONK and ZEEDONK—all terms that are, so to speak, worth their stripes.

Definition: a large container for trash

It’s possible that you’ve played DUMPSTER in the past and have been successfully challenged, a frustrating experience. Until now, this term was categorized as a trademark in the dictionary—the capital D made it unavailable for play. But now, like other words that started out as trademarks (ESCALATOR is one; both XEROX and GOOGLE are playable as verbs), it is a playable noun.

Definition: a word that forms another word when viewed another way

Words about words are perfect for Scrabble players, and this newly playable term refers to words that have a visual symmetry (think of mom and wow), often when presented upside-down or at 180 degrees. In addition to this way of calling how a word is seen, we have also added a new word about how they are heard, EGGCORN, “a word that sounds like and is mistaken for another word,” often in song lyrics.

Definition: to enlarge

Building upon existing words is a big part of Scrabble strategy, whether you build from your rack or from letters already on the board. Adding five letters to BIG to create EMBIGGEN (and possibly EMBIGGENED or EMBIGGENING) makes for new ways to think about building from a common word. Other new terms that embiggen the playable word list by adding parts to existing words include UNMALTED, JUICERY, BABYMOON, UNFOLLOW, UNMUTE, and SUBTWEET.

Definition: a small porpoise

The letter Q has the highest point value (along with Z) in the game, so it’s good news for players that it can be used with a new combination of letters. As with so many Q words, a U is also needed here, which is also true of another new addition: QUESO.