…with Gary Moss

The scrabble master is able to use wisdom disguised as foolishness. This is accomplished by learning and playing obscure words that trick the opponent to thinking that they are phonies. If you haven’t done so recently, just click here on BINGOS PLAYED IN 2010 and count the words on the leagal column that could have stumped you. (All the words in the PHONEY list were played and not challenged by their opponents.)

Would you challenge (C) these words or not (NC)?

(C) (NC)
___ ___ crwth
___ ___ wovens
___ ___ newtons
___ ___ godivas
___ ___ qwerty
___ ___ brung
___ ___ acold
___ ___ playings
___ ___ runnings
___ ___ pookie

For Answers: CLICK HERE

Not as easy as it would seem, is it? And all of this is going on as your clock is ticking away.

There are more that 155 thousand words in the OWL2, our official word list at CLUB #350, part of the NASPA. The Collins Dictionary, used in other parts of the scrabble world have almost double that number of words.

The words in the dictionary are determined by committees. This process is a little different than how words get into the Webster’s. But all club and tournament scrabble players are bound to the lists of their sanctioning authority. The lists are constantly reviewed in committee and updates and changes occur from time to time. The OWL2 was last updated in March of 2006.

The truth be it, there is little foolishness in scrabble and the forming of words. There are only different levels of wisdom. And there is always more wisdom to be acquired. . . no matter where you are at.
~ Gary Moss