Words With Friends Tips: How to Score More Points

Words With Friends looks like Scrabble, but it is scored differently, and players who carry Scrabble habits across often leave points on the table. These tips are built around how the game actually scores.

1. Know which letters are worth more

Several letters are worth more in Words With Friends than in Scrabble. B, C, G, L, M, N, P and V are each worth one point more; U is worth 2 instead of 1; and J is worth 10 instead of 8. H and Y are each worth one point less.

That makes words full of those middle-value consonants surprisingly valuable. Using the game's tile values, JUMBLE is worth 23 points (17 in Scrabble), JUNGLE is worth 20 (14 in Scrabble) and PLUMP is worth 16 (11 in Scrabble).

2. Learn a few high-scoring short words

Short words with high-value letters are easy to fit on the board. Some of the best everyday ones, with their Words With Friends values:

JAZZY and PIZZA need two Zs; check how many your version of the game includes before planning around them.

3. Use premium squares for your best tiles

A 10-point J or Z on a triple-letter square is worth 30 points before you count anything else. Before you play a high-value tile, look for a short word that puts it on a letter bonus, ideally where it also forms a second word in the other direction.

4. Play in two directions

The biggest scores often come from small plays that make two or three words at once. Placing a single letter so that it extends one word and starts another means its value counts twice. Two-letter words such as XI, JO and ZA are what make this possible, so they are worth learning.

5. Go for the seven-tile bonus, but do not chase it

Using all seven tiles in one move earns 35 points in Words With Friends (50 in Scrabble). That is valuable, but because it is smaller, it is often better to take a solid score from a high-value tile than to wait several turns hoping for a seven-letter word.

6. Keep a balanced rack

A good rack has a mix of vowels and consonants and a few common letters such as E, R, S and T. If you keep drawing awkward combinations, consider playing off several difficult tiles at once, or swapping, rather than making a tiny play every turn.

7. Look before you open up the board

A word that reaches towards a triple-word square can hand your opponent a big score. Before you play, check what spaces your move opens and whether you or your opponent is more likely to use them.

Practise smarter

After a game, put your tricky racks into our Words With Friends solver, which scores words with the game's own tile values. Seeing the plays you missed is the quickest way to improve. For a side-by-side comparison of the two games, read Words With Friends vs. Scrabble.

Words With Friends is a registered trademark of Zynga. EasyUnscramble is independent and not affiliated with it. Tile counts and rules can change between versions of the game.

Related reading: Words With Friends vs. Scrabble · Short words with Z, X, J and Q

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