Published 2026-05-04 • Updated 2026-05-04
Scrabble vs Words With Friends: Every Rule Difference Explained
Switching between Scrabble and Words With Friends trips up even experienced players. Here is a side-by-side breakdown of every meaningful difference.
Scrabble and Words With Friends look nearly identical on the surface — both use letter tiles, both score words placed on a grid, both reward longer words. But the differences in board layout, tile values, dictionary, and scoring rules mean that strategies that work in one game actively hurt you in the other.
The board layouts differ in where premium squares are placed. Scrabble's board has triple-word squares in fixed corner and edge positions. Words With Friends positions its premium squares differently, with no triple-word squares in the corners. This changes which opening plays are strongest and which edges of the board are worth fighting for.
Tile point values differ significantly. In Scrabble, S is worth 1 point. In Words With Friends, S is worth 1 point as well — but many other tiles differ. The C is worth 3 in Scrabble and 4 in WWF. The H is 4 in Scrabble and 3 in WWF. The V is 4 in Scrabble and 5 in WWF. Always check the point value in your current game before assuming the solver's Scrabble scores transfer directly.
The dictionaries use different word lists. Scrabble uses TWL (Tournament Word List) in North America and SOWPODS internationally. Words With Friends uses its own enhanced dictionary that includes many words not in TWL. This means some words you can play in WWF are not valid in Scrabble and vice versa. The solver on this site lets you switch between game dictionaries to get accurate results for each.
Blank tile handling is identical in both games — blanks score zero and can represent any letter. The bingo (using all seven tiles) bonus is 35 points in Words With Friends and 50 points in Scrabble. This makes rack management slightly more important in Scrabble, where the bingo bonus is worth more relative to typical turn scores.
Swap rules differ too. In Scrabble you can exchange any number of tiles by skipping your turn, but only when the bag has seven or more tiles remaining. In Words With Friends, you can swap by using the swap button at any time during the game, including when the bag is nearly empty — though you still lose your turn.
For solver use, always confirm which game mode you are in before running a search. This site's mode selector switches both the dictionary and the scoring system simultaneously. A word that scores 34 points in Scrabble mode may score 31 or 37 in Words With Friends mode because of the tile value differences.