How to Play Scrabble: Setup, Word Placement, Turns & Scoring
Scrabble is played by forming connected words on the board and scoring the printed value of each letter plus any premium squares covered by newly placed tiles.
Setup
Put all 100 letter tiles in the bag, determine the first player using the letter-draw procedure in the rules, then return those tiles and reshuffle. Each player draws seven tiles and keeps them on a rack.
The first word
The first play uses two or more letters and must read across or down with one tile covering the center star. Diagonal words are not legal.
Later turns
Place one or more tiles in a single row or column. New tiles must connect to tiles already on the board and every complete word created by the play must be legal under the dictionary agreed before the game.
Score the turn
Add the values of the letters in every word created or modified. Apply premium letter squares before premium word squares. A premium square only applies on the turn when a tile is first placed on it.
Refill your rack
After scoring, draw the same number of tiles you played so that you return to seven tiles while enough remain in the bag.
Exchange instead of playing
You may use a turn to exchange some or all rack tiles: discard them face down, draw the same number, mix the discarded tiles back into the pool and end your turn.
Ending the game
The game ends when all letters have been drawn and a player uses the last rack tile, or when no possible plays remain. Each player subtracts the value of unplayed tiles; if someone went out, the opponents’ leftover values are added to that player’s score.