Ten Word Games Everyone Should Play

Ten Word Games Everyone Should Play For those wanting to improve vocabulary and spelling, doing so doesnt have to be all hard work and no play. Word games get our mental juices going as we strive to solve puzzles, beat our neighbors and come up with letter combinations that magically make sense when arranged in the right way. If you were to search this title on the internet, youd mostly find reference to word gaming apps, and many of them are really quite good, but on the whole, its still the classics that are the most fun. Thats not to say you should avoid the apps. Many are based on the classics, and the ones that set time limits for you to make your move or expect you to find as many words as possible in a given time provide an extra challenge and a shot of adrenalin. Still, its still worthwhile to play some of the classic games from time to time since they can be pure word joy. Scrabble This game will always be a classic choice and trying to hit those double or triple word scores adds an element of strategy. Before you begin, be sure to decide on a dictionary to use as your source. Scrabble specific dictionaries often allow a lot of words that arent words at all at least not in the everyday sense. I prefer to use my trusty dictionary set as a reference; if its not there, you cant use it. Of course, thats just me. Many people are happy to immerse themselves in scrabble dictionaries to learn sneaky new two and three letter words, or a variety of words that begin with the letter Q. Crosswords If you dont have a handy friend to compete against, a solitary word game works best. Crosswords range from the deeply cryptic to the relatively simple, but theyre always challenging. Be sure to use a pencil with an eraser on the back, because there are times when more than one word fits the clue. Hangman To play this game the traditional way with pen and paper, you need a real live opponent. There are several app versions, so you can also load it on your smartphone to keep yourself entertained on your commute or when waiting for appointments. There are a number of variations on the theme, but they all involve guessing a word from clues. Every wrong guess sees a drawing of hanged man progressing further so you have a limited amount of guesses. Pictionary This game is best played when you have at least three other people joining in. Its fun, theres often hilarity, and you get to practice your language skills and your drawing skills simultaneously. Its been around since 1985, and its still going strong. Spill and Spell Spill out the letters and see how many words you can make with them. Because you multiply the number of letters used in your word to calculate your points, the longer your word is, the better. A 5 letter word would make you 25 points, but a 6 letter word scores 36. Word Search Puzzle books, newspapers, and magazines often offer word search games. Once again, there are plenty of word search puzzles available online. Can you find all the hidden words? Sometimes, it can be quite tricky! On the whole, though, its an easy game that tests your powers of observation and your reading skills. Target Target puzzles are among my favorites even though they often have me beaten after hours of thought. You really have to think out of the box, and finding all the words hidden in the 9 letters the puzzle offers is truly challenging. Youre given 9 letters, one of which has to be included in every word you make. Theres usually just one 9-letter word hidden in your letter set but there may be several 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 letter words. How many can you find? Typing Games Typing games help you to improve your typing speed, accuracy, and spelling. There are tons of free options online, or you could just set a timer and try your hand at touch typing by copying a random text. Remember you arent supposed to look at the keyboard. Balderdash Returning to more sociable games, Balderdash is bound to provoke laughter. At the same time, youll learn some pretty obscure words while you try to distinguish fake definitions from real ones. Learning really can be fun. Words with Friends There has to be at least one high-tech word game in the bunch, and Words with Friends is a hugely popular option with many celebrities giving it the thumbs up. Basically, its scrabble played online, but Ive been warned that its highly addictive. As a natural-born words geek, Ive been avoiding it because Im sure all my writing will go down the drain if I begin to play. Do you know another great word game you like to play? Share it in the comments so we can add it to this list! (Photo courtesy of Janet Galore)