Scrabble is a word game that follows a different dictionary than the traditional one. You can use a traditional English dictionary to read, write, speak, or understand English. You can also do these things using a Scrabble dictionary, but there are some complications.
A Scrabble dictionary can be beneficial for winning Scrabble, whereas a traditional dictionary might not be. The Scrabble dictionary has several words that do not exist in the traditional dictionary, and the traditional dictionary has several words that are not in the Scrabble one.
So, what are the primary differences between these two dictionaries? Let us find out.
1. Words
Isn’t it the most obvious difference between both dictionaries? Both dictionaries might have up to 80 to 90% similar words, but the remaining ones make a significant difference.
Traditional dictionaries go through an editorial process to filter the useful or common words to add to the dictionary because it is almost impossible to add all the words or phrases to a dictionary.
On the other hand, Scrabble uses a single dictionary and keeps adding new words. It uses an editorial process to check and remove negative words and phrases. You can use this dictionary to find all valid and invalid words in Scrabble.
2. Common Words
Scrabble dictionary does not allow several common words of a traditional English dictionary. You can not start a word with a capital letter, so it omits words like,
- Monday, Tuesday,……., Sunday,
- Christmas, Diwali, Evie, etc.,
- Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, etc.
Almost all proper nouns are not valid in Scrabble because they would have made the game less competitive. Although, words like weekdays, festivals, and zodiac are allowed in Scrabble Words.
3. Non-English Words
Several foreign words are allowed in Scrabble, which can also give you many points. You can see a list of these words by clicking here. Several words like Amour, Adieu, Bandito, Barista, etc., are valid Scrabble words.
On the other hand, words like facto and de facto are not allowed in Scrabble.
4. Words with Punctuation
Scrabble does not allow punctuations in words which means you can not use abbreviations like I.Q., e.g., etc., in it. However, small words like POL, REC, and AWOL are valid Scrabble words. The latest abbreviation in this list is OK, which is a legit Scrabble word.
You can use seven or nine-letter words in Scrabble as long as its dictionary allows them. On average, the longest words you can play in Scrabble are seven or eight-letter words. Nine-letter words are rare in Scrabble because they require two suitable letters already present on the board.
However, you can extend the existing letter by adding suffixes, prefixes, ing, etc. For instance, you can add ing to falsify, which will give you falsifying, a 10-letter word.
Wrapping Up
Scrabble dictionary is different from a traditional dictionary in many senses. There are different words and phrases in both dictionaries.
You can use both dictionaries almost everywhere, but I suggest you avoid preparing for exams using the Scrabble dictionary and playing a match of Scrabble using a traditional one.