Outspell: Spelling Out the Rules and Unique Features (2024)

Outspell: Spelling Out the Rules and Unique Features (1)

Created by Beth Wiggins for Wordfinder

Outspell is a Scrabble clone that you can play in any web browser. It’s a single-player experience, making it a great alternative to the multiplayer game that inspired it. It’s also entirely free to play. If you want the fun of Scrabble without needing to rely on another player, Outspell might be the perfect spelling game for you.

The Basics of Outspell

As mentioned, the Outspell game is based on classic Scrabble. The gameplay is essentially the same. If you are an avid Scrabble player, this game will come naturally to you. If you are only familiar with Scrabble, learning Outspell will take no time at all. And if you’ve never played a game of Scrabble in your life, you’ll still be able to figure things out after a couple of games. Outspell is all about being simple, quick and easy to play.

With the similarity to Scrabble also comes a similarity to Words With Friends. Both games have built-in dictionaries that tell you which words are legal. Words With Friends also has a single-player mode. The only major difference is that Outspell doesn’t have a ranking system like Words With Friends does.

Just like in Scrabble, you play the game on a board with (mostly) blank squares. Each turn, you place letter tiles on the squares to create words. Every word you create earns you points based on the letters you use. The goal is to outscore your opponent by creating the best words possible.

Arkadium: The Brains Behind Outspell

Outspell was created by the company Arkadium. Arkadium specializes in casual browser-based games. They’ve been in business since 2001 and have released some popular web games alongside Outspell. Some examples are the Microsoft Solitaire Collection and an at-home version of the Jeopardy! game show.

Spelling Out the Rules to Outspell

Outspell’s rules are worth studying if you aren’t already familiar with Scrabble or Words With Friends. The first rules you should understand are the steps for playing the game.

  • Set the difficulty: Before the game starts, you can choose from one of three difficulty settings: easy, medium or hard. Outspell can become challenging, so it’s best to start with “easy” if you are new to it.

  • Make the first move: You always play the first letter tile to start the game. Select two or more of your six letter tiles to create a word. You must create your first word with the board’s center space.

  • Pass your turn: If you don’t want to play a word or don’t see any worthwhile words to spell, you can skip your turn.

  • Exchange tiles: You can exchange any number of your tiles for random replacements from the tile bag. Keep in mind that the game will skip your turn if you choose to swap tiles.

  • Win the game: The game ends once you and the computer use all of the 100 letter tiles or if neither player can no longer spell a viable word with their available tiles. At that point, the player with the most points wins.

Points, Placement and Bonus Squares

The other important rules pertain to the placement of letters and how you earn points.

  • Tile scores: Each letter tile is assigned an individual point value, the same as Scrabble letter values. Commonly used letters are typically only worth one point each. Less common letters are worth more. The letter Z, for example, is worth 10 points.

  • Word placement: You can only spell words in straight lines, and each word must be readable from left to right or from top to bottom. Sometimes, spelling a word alongside an existing word can create other legal words. If you spell any words this way, you’ll earn points for them as well.

  • Bonus squares: The board has multiple blue squares and red squares mixed in with the regular white ones. Each of these squares has an “X3” or an “X2” on them. Placing a letter on a blue square will multiply the points for that letter by the number on the square. Spelling a word on a red square will multiply the points for the entire word by the number on the square.

Where to Play

Being a browser-based game, Outspell has the benefit of being playable on many different websites. Arkadium “leases out” the game, in a sense, to other sites so they can offer their users extra entertainment. Playing AARP Outspell is effectively the same as playing Outspell on Arkadium’s own page

Other sites to get your fill of Outspell include MSN Games and USA Today, as well as The Washington Post. Millions of people visit these sites every day.

Play Scrabble Online as Well

Outspell is a quality supplement for Scrabble. The rules are almost identical. And, being a single-player game makes it good practice if you don’t feel ready to play real people in Scrabble or Words With Friends. However, it’s not the only online option to enjoy tile-based gameplay. Explore some other options for single-player Scrabble to find a game you might enjoy just as much as Outspell.

Zac Pricener has been a content creator for the past eight years. He’s a bit of an all-around nerd, and he has a bad habit of working movie and TV show references into conversations whenever possible.

Outspell: Spelling Out the Rules and Unique Features (2024)

FAQs

How do people get such high scores on Outspell? ›

If you use all six of your tiles on one word, you'll get an automatic 50-point bonus. But that's not the only way to gain an advantage. Look carefully for open x2 and x3 tiles, which double or triple the letter (if it's a blue tile) or word (if it's a red tile).

What is the difference between Scrabble and Outspell? ›

The only major difference is that Outspell doesn't have a ranking system like Words With Friends does. Just like in Scrabble, you play the game on a board with (mostly) blank squares. Each turn, you place letter tiles on the squares to create words.

What dictionary does Outspell use? ›

Games Tips

Outspell uses a broad word bank composed of several different word game dictionaries including Scrabble. This ensures players have access to a wide range of available words, even if some may be less well known. Your computer opponent only has access to a portion of the word bank to make play more fair.

How do you play the game Outspell? ›

Outspell Spelling Game

First you'll need to choose your desired difficulty. Then, spell your first word on the board, making sure that it touches the center space. Next, the computer will spell a word off of yours. Continue building words until there are no more tiles available!

What is the most powerful word in Scrabble? ›

Oxyphenbutazone: A type of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) This is theoretically the highest-scoring of all the Scrabble words—hooked to the right words, it would earn a whopping 1,778 points, found Dan Stock of Ohio.

What is the highest opening word in Scrabble? ›

The word muzjiks, which refers to Russian peasants, holds the record for the highest opening move ever recorded and is, according to the rules, the highest scoring opener that is possible.

Are Scrabble players intelligent? ›

A new study confirms what Scrabble players have long suspected: We really are smarter than the rest of you. Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered that competitive Scrabble players are able to increase visual word recognition -- the ability to read individual words -- well into adulthood.

Do obsolete words count in Scrabble? ›

All words labeled as a part of speech (including those listed of foreign origin, and as archaic, obsolete, colloquial, slang, etc.) are permitted with the exception of the following: words always capitalized, abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe.

Are any words banned in Scrabble? ›

Scores of scrabble players are quitting the competitive game after hundreds of “offensive” words were banned. More than 400 terms including racial slurs, sexuality and gender insults were taken off the game's official online words list, GB News reports.

What is the most popular Scrabble dictionary? ›

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary or OSPD is a dictionary developed for use in the game Scrabble, by speakers of American and Canadian English. Merriam-Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster, Inc.

What is the best dictionary with the most words? ›

Oxford Dictionary has 273,000 headwords; 171,476 of them being in current use, 47,156 being obsolete words and around 9,500 derivative words included as subentries. The dictionary contains 157,000 combinations and derivatives, and 169,000 phrases and combinations, making a total of over 600,000 word-forms.

Can you check a dictionary before playing a word in Scrabble? ›

Challenging words

At this point only, you may consult a dictionary to check spelling or usage. If the word challenged is unacceptable, the player takes back their tiles and loses their turn.

How do you play just one word? ›

Gameplay
  1. 1) A mystery word is presented.
  2. 2) Each player writes a single-word* clue on their board.
  3. 3) The game removes exact matches.
  4. 4) One player reviews the remaining clues. Any identical and/or invalid are removed (see Eliminated Clues). ( ...
  5. 5) The active player guesses the mystery word, or opts to pass.

How do you play the secret word game? ›

One team is selected to go first. A player from that team is designated as the first Reader. 2. The Reader's job is to convey the “secret word” at the top of the card in a way that will allow his or her teammates to guess what the secret word is.

How do you spell aarp? ›

AARP.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/AARP.

How did Caziques score 392 in Scrabble? ›

In April 1982, Dr Khoshnaw scored 392 points for "CAZIQUES" getting the "Q" on a double letter score and the "C" and "S" on triple word scores. CAZIQUES means West Indian Chiefs.

What is the highest possible Scrabble score? ›

The highest scoring legal play is to make OXYPHENBUTAZONE across the left side of the board, hitting three Triple Word Score squares while making seven crosswords downward, for a total of 1,784 points.

What is a good score in two-person Scrabble? ›

A well-contested Scrabble game should end with around 600 to 700 total points. So, the average Scrabble score to beat is about 350 for a 2-player game, 230 for a 3-player game, and 175 for a 4-player game. If you can regularly score higher than that, you can legitimately claim the coveted title of "Good at Scrabble."

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