Wordsy
Wordsy Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Credits
Design: Gil Hova Illustration: Snow Conrad Graphic Design: Matt Paquette & Co., Anca Gavril & Co. Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser Special Thanks: Brett Myers, Amber Cook, Vinny Salzillo, Avonelle Wing, Carrie Margulies
In memory of Donna Balkan, who would have been great at this game.
Components
- A. 6 Player Boards
- B. 6 Dry Erase Markers
- C. 1 Sand Timer
- D. 44 Common Letter Cards (green)
- E. 16 Rare Letter Cards (12 red, 4 blue)
- F. 4 Point Cards
- G. 1 No Flip Card (Solo on back)
Setup
- Give each player a player board and marker.
- Shuffle all common and rare letters together and place the deck facedown in the middle of the table. Place the sand timer and "No Flip" card nearby. With 2 players, don't use the "No Flip" card.
- Lay out the point cards next the deck in descending order, as shown.
- Going from right to left, deal 2 faceup letters above each point card. Follow the Two Rules of Two while dealing (see right).
- The moment the 8th card is dealt, start the first round!
For solo setup, see the solo rules card.
Two Rules of Two
There can never be more than 2 of the same faceup letter. If a 3rd copy of a letter is dealt, discard it and redraw.
There can never be more than 2 rare faceup letters, counting both red (+1) and blue (+2) rare letters. If a 3rd is dealt, discard it and redraw.
How to Play
Each round, each player writes down a single word, using as many faceup scoring letters as they can. After 7 rounds, the player with the highest score wins.
Playing a Round
There are no turns. When a round begins, everyone immediately starts thinking of a word. Secretly write your word on your player board. You may erase and change it as much as you like while everyone is still thinking.
At any point, any player who is ready to "lock in" their word may stop writing and start the timer. All other players then have 30 seconds to finish writing. When the timer runs out, everyone reveals and scores their word (see pg. 4).
Fastest Wordsmith: The player who starts the timer is the Fastest Wordsmith of the round. They may not change their word after they start the timer.
Word Rules
- You must write a correctly spelled full word that could be found in a dictionary. No proper nouns, hyphenated words, abbreviations, contractions, or words in other languages.
- Your word can be any length and use any letters in the alphabet. You are not limited to the faceup letters. You can use the faceup letters any number of times, in any order.
- You must write an original word. You can't re-use any word scored by anyone in a previous round (for allowed modifications, see pg. 5). You can score the same word as another player if you reveal it at the same time. Previous words are public information; you can ask about them at any time.
Scoring Words
To score your word, add up the point values of the faceup letters you used. If you used any red or blue rare letters, add the extra +1 or +2 points printed on them. You can only score one instance of each letter for each matching card in the middle (see examples).
A — QUIBBLES Q(4+2) + B(4) + L(2) + S(5) = 17 pts This word has 2 Bs, but there's only 1 B card, so only the 1st B is worth points.
B — BACCALAUREATES B(4) + C(5) + C(3) + L(2) + S(5) = 19 pts This word has 2 Cs, so it scores both C cards. (A 3rd C would be worth 0 points.)
C — LIQUEFACTION L(2) + Q(4+2) + F(3+1) + C(5) = 17 pts This word has 1 C, so it only scores the higher-valued C card.
Scoring Bonuses
After scoring your word, check if you earn either of these bonuses:
- Score this bonus if you scored higher than the Fastest Wordsmith (NOT tied).
- Score this bonus if you are the Fastest Wordsmith, and you scored higher than or tied with at least 3 opponents (or both opponents in a 3-player game).
New Round
Once everyone has finished scoring:
- Give the Fastest Wordsmith the "No Flip" card. They may not flip the timer again next round. With 2 players, ignore this step.
- Discard the 4 letters in the 2 lowest-value columns and slide the remaining 4 letters right to fill the space. Then deal 4 new letters in the 2 highest-value columns. Once the last card is dealt, start the next round immediately!
Game End
After 7 rounds, each player adds up their final score.
- Cross out your 2 worst word scores and add up your 5 best.
- Add all bonuses you marked.
- Subtract all penalties you marked.
Highest score wins! In a tie, victory is shared.
That's Not a Word!
If you think a word breaks the Word Rules, you may challenge it. Consult an agreed-upon reference. If you're correct, the word scores 0 points. If you're incorrect, mark a penalty on your board.
What Counts as the Same Word? Any modification of a word that only changes its class (verb, noun, etc), number, gender, or tense is considered the same word. All other modifications are allowed.
Same Words: fish, fishes, fishing, fishy, fishier, fishily Different Words: fish, fisherman, shellfish
No-Timer Variant
If you prefer playing without a timer, you can instead choose a random First Wordsmith at the start the game. When the round starts, everyone takes as much time as they need to come up with a word. After the last player stops writing, reveal and score normally, with the First Wordsmith standing in for the Fastest Wordsmith.
At the end of each round, the player who has marked the fewest bonuses becomes the new First Wordsmith (ties go to the closest clockwise).