<p>The tile distribution is different, as are the tile values.</p>

<pre><strong>        Scrabble     WWF</strong>
Letter  (#, Value)  (#,Value)
A       (9,1)       (9,1)
B       (2,3)       (2,4)
C       (2,3)       (2,4)
D       (4,2)       (5,2)
E       (12,1)      (13,1)
F       (2,4)       (2,4)
G       (3,2)       (3,3)
H       (2,4)       (4,3)
I       (9,1)       (8,1)
J       (1,8)       (1,10)
K       (1,5)       (1,5)
L       (4,1)       (4,2)
M       (2,3)       (2,4)
N       (6,1)       (5,2)
O       (8,1)       (8,1)
P       (2,3)       (2,4)
Q       (1,10)      (1,10)
R       (6,1)       (6,1)
S       (4,1)       (5,1)
T       (6,1)       (7,1)
U       (4,1)       (4,2)
V       (2,4)       (2,5)
W       (2,4)       (2,4)
X       (1,8)       (1,8)
Y       (2,4)       (2,3)
Z       (1,10)      (1,10)
Blank   (2,0)       (2,0)
</pre>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-17T08:27:07.077Z
every -ing bingo just became worth an extra 2 points!
Jontia
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-16T15:46:43.163Z
2017-04-01T15:12:59.857Z
2017-04-01T15:12:59.857Z
Basicpract
<p>Another difference, that actually has a bigger impact on strategy, is that the BINGO bonus (the bonus for playing all 7 tiles in one move) is reduced from 50 to 35.</p>

<p>Together with the placement of the bonus squares (see above) often allowing quadruple letter words and 9-time scoring letters (12 if placed also in both directions), you can sometimes score higher by good placement rather than bingos.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T14:33:36.717Z
2014-10-23T14:33:36.717Z
CashCow
<p>Here is a <a href="http://scrabble.wonderhowto.com/how-to/scrabble-challenge-15-what-would-be-your-first-move-words-with-friends-0131360/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">link</a>.</p>

<p>If you cannot access that page, let me explain it below:</p>

<p>The Scrabble grid looks like this: (P for red cells, B for pink cells,<br>
T for blue cells, and D for light blue cells.)<br>
<code>
P--D---P---D--P
-B---T---T---B-
--B---D-D---B--
D--B---D---B--D
----B-----B----
-T---T---T---T-
--D---D-D---D--
P--D--(B)--D--P
--D---D-D---D--
-T---T---T---T-
----B-----B----
D--B---D---B--D
--B---D-D---B--
-B---T---T---B-
P--D---P---D--P
</code>
The Words With Friends board looks like:
<code>
---P--T-T--P---
--D--B---B--D--
-D--D-----D--D-
P--T---B---T--P
--D---D-D---D--
-B---T---T---B-
T---D-----D---T
---B--(-)--B---
T---D-----D---T
-B---T---T---B-
--D---D-D---D-
P--T---B---T--P
-D--D-----D--D-
--D--B---B--D--
---P--T-T--P---
</code>
Letter Distributions: (S=Scrabble, W=Words with friends)
<code>
Letters ? A B C D  E F G H I  J K L M N O P  Q R S T U V W X Y  Z
S count 2 9 2 2 4 12 2 3 2 9  1 1 4 2 6 8 2  1 6 4 6 4 2 2 1 2  1
S score 0 1 3 3 2  1 4 2 4 1  8 5 1 3 1 1 3 10 1 1 1 1 4 4 8 4 10
W count 2 9 2 2 5 13 2 3 4 8  1 1 4 2 5 8 2  1 6 5 7 4 2 2 1 2  1
W score 0 1 4 4 2  1 4 3 3 1 10 5 2 4 2 1 4 10 1 1 1 2 5 4 8 3 10
</code></p>

<p>Other differences:<br>
- Scrabble uses the OWL2 dictionary, while Words with friends uses ENABLE.<br>
- BINGO (using up all seven tiles from your hand) gives you 50 points on<br>
S, while 35 points on W.<br>
- S's center square is a Double Word Square, while W's center square is regular.<br>
- On Mobile S Apps, they show your score for the whole game. But on the W app, they don't.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-14T04:20:09.327Z
The Scrabble grid looks like a large X, while the W grid looks like an O.
Scratch---Cat
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-17T08:30:51.393Z
What are OWL2 and ENABLE? Online dictionaries?
Jontia
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-18T13:58:58.313Z
@jontia They are word lists. You can't make words outside the list.
Scratch---Cat
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-13T21:20:03.147Z
2019-09-13T21:20:03.147Z
Scratch---Cat
<p>In addition to the different dictionary/word list, Words With Friends tiles and their values are actually a little different from what you can expect with Scrabble.</p>
<p>• 1 point for: E ×13, A ×9, I ×8, O ×8, T ×7, R ×6, S ×5
• 2 points for: D ×5, N ×5, L ×4, U ×4
• 3 points for: H ×4, G ×3, Y ×2
• 4 points for: B ×2, C ×2, F ×2, M ×2, P ×2, W ×2
• 5 points for: V ×2, K ×1
• 8 points for: X ×1
• 10 points for: J ×1, Q ×1, Z ×1
• 0 points for: 2 blank tiles</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.word-grabber.com/words-with-friends-cheat" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Words With Friends Solver</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-11T08:29:40.557Z
Is this list any different from that in Basicpract's 8 year old answer?
Philip Kendall
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-10T23:16:30.700Z
2021-04-10T23:16:30.700Z
emraeshine
<p>Words with Friends is often referred to as the advance version of the Scrabble.  The main differences of the two game is that Words with Friends can be played online with friends wherever they are.  It also has a feature wherein players can even chat with each other while playing the game. In this article - <a href="http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-How-to-Play-Words-With-Friends&amp;id=7125844" rel="nofollow">http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-How-to-Play-Words-With-Friends&amp;id=7125844</a>, you would learn more about Words with Friends and how it differs from Scrabble. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-10T17:39:38.827Z
I'm referring to the board game version. Not the electronic version.
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-10T14:03:01.533Z
2012-11-10T14:03:01.533Z
Ayls Billones
<p>The board layout - the positioning of the bonus squares is different.</p>

<p>Words With Friends:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/AemmE.jpg" alt="Words With Friends"></p>

<p>Scrabble:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/RqkE9.jpg" alt="Scrabble"></p>

<p>Also, the distribution and points scored for the letters in <a href="http://ravensgift.com/words-with-friends-faq-and-letter-distributions.html" rel="noreferrer">Words With Friends</a> is slightly different to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble_letter_distributions" rel="noreferrer">Scrabble</a>. For example, B and C score 3 points in Scrabble, but 4 points in Words With Friends.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-31T19:00:21.800Z
One also wonders if WWF-the-board-game is to be played with the online version's somewhat aggressive naughty-words filter, or if the full dictionary is in effect :)
Affe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-31T23:04:25.593Z
Also, the values of some of the letters are more with WWF than of Scrabble.
Aaron Morris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-06T17:22:57.537Z
This is also a very interesting article which helps explain why the boards differ and how Words With Friends avoids a copyright infringement lawsuit from Hasbro. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/07/scrabulous-sc-1.html
Tapan Zee
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-12T12:56:49.447Z
Also the name doesn't evoke the Scrabble trademark, which was an issue for Scrabulous
Omar Kooheji
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-31T17:03:59.533Z
2012-10-31T23:28:54.967Z
2012-10-31T23:28:54.967Z
Tom77
<p>I like to play a game called Words With Friends, which is a freenium version of Scrabble. I thought it was however functionally the same. However, I've just seen that Zynga, the creators of the game, have released a boardgame version.</p>

<p>Here is a picture:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/fiQQm.jpg" alt="Picture of the Words With Friends board game"></p>

<p>How does this compare to Scrabble? What are the differences?</p>

<scrabble><words-with-friends>
How is the board game version of Words With Friends different from Scrabble?
AncientSwordRage
# How is the board game version of Words With Friends different from Scrabble?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-10-31)

I like to play a game called Words With Friends, which is a freenium version of Scrabble. I thought it was however functionally the same. However, I've just seen that Zynga, the creators of the game, have released a boardgame version.

Here is a picture:

![Picture of the Words With Friends board game](https://i.sstatic.net/fiQQm.jpg)

How does this compare to Scrabble? What are the differences?

**Tags:** scrabble, words-with-friends


---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_8 on 2012-10-31. Score: 20 | Accepted answer

The board layout - the positioning of the bonus squares is different.

Words With Friends:

![Words With Friends](https://i.sstatic.net/AemmE.jpg)

Scrabble:

![Scrabble](https://i.sstatic.net/RqkE9.jpg)

Also, the distribution and points scored for the letters in [Words With Friends](http://ravensgift.com/words-with-friends-faq-and-letter-distributions.html) is slightly different to [Scrabble](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrabble_letter_distributions). For example, B and C score 3 points in Scrabble, but 4 points in Words With Friends.

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: One also wonders if WWF-the-board-game is to be played with the online version's somewhat aggressive naughty-words filter, or if the full dictionary is in effect :)  
> **username_10**: Also, the values of some of the letters are more with WWF than of Scrabble.  
> **username_11**: This is also a very interesting article which helps explain why the boards differ and how Words With Friends avoids a copyright infringement lawsuit from Hasbro. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/07/scrabulous-sc-1.html  
> **username_12**: Also the name doesn't evoke the Scrabble trademark, which was an issue for Scrabulous  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-01-16. Score: 12

The tile distribution is different, as are the tile values.
        Scrabble     WWF
Letter  (#, Value)  (#,Value)
A       (9,1)       (9,1)
B       (2,3)       (2,4)
C       (2,3)       (2,4)
D       (4,2)       (5,2)
E       (12,1)      (13,1)
F       (2,4)       (2,4)
G       (3,2)       (3,3)
H       (2,4)       (4,3)
I       (9,1)       (8,1)
J       (1,8)       (1,10)
K       (1,5)       (1,5)
L       (4,1)       (4,2)
M       (2,3)       (2,4)
N       (6,1)       (5,2)
O       (8,1)       (8,1)
P       (2,3)       (2,4)
Q       (1,10)      (1,10)
R       (6,1)       (6,1)
S       (4,1)       (5,1)
T       (6,1)       (7,1)
U       (4,1)       (4,2)
V       (2,4)       (2,5)
W       (2,4)       (2,4)
X       (1,8)       (1,8)
Y       (2,4)       (2,3)
Z       (1,10)      (1,10)
Blank   (2,0)       (2,0)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: every -ing bingo just became worth an extra 2 points!  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2014-10-23. Score: 4

Another difference, that actually has a bigger impact on strategy, is that the BINGO bonus (the bonus for playing all 7 tiles in one move) is reduced from 50 to 35.

Together with the placement of the bonus squares (see above) often allowing quadruple letter words and 9-time scoring letters (12 if placed also in both directions), you can sometimes score higher by good placement rather than bingos.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-09-13. Score: 2

Here is a [link](http://scrabble.wonderhowto.com/how-to/scrabble-challenge-15-what-would-be-your-first-move-words-with-friends-0131360/).

If you cannot access that page, let me explain it below:

The Scrabble grid looks like this: (P for red cells, B for pink cells,  
T for blue cells, and D for light blue cells.)  
`P--D---P---D--P
-B---T---T---B-
--B---D-D---B--
D--B---D---B--D
----B-----B----
-T---T---T---T-
--D---D-D---D--
P--D--(B)--D--P
--D---D-D---D--
-T---T---T---T-
----B-----B----
D--B---D---B--D
--B---D-D---B--
-B---T---T---B-
P--D---P---D--P`
The Words With Friends board looks like:
`---P--T-T--P---
--D--B---B--D--
-D--D-----D--D-
P--T---B---T--P
--D---D-D---D--
-B---T---T---B-
T---D-----D---T
---B--(-)--B---
T---D-----D---T
-B---T---T---B-
--D---D-D---D-
P--T---B---T--P
-D--D-----D--D-
--D--B---B--D--
---P--T-T--P---`
Letter Distributions: (S=Scrabble, W=Words with friends)
`Letters ? A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
S count 2 9 2 2 4 12 2 3 2 9 1 1 4 2 6 8 2 1 6 4 6 4 2 2 1 2 1
S score 0 1 3 3 2 1 4 2 4 1 8 5 1 3 1 1 3 10 1 1 1 1 4 4 8 4 10
W count 2 9 2 2 5 13 2 3 4 8 1 1 4 2 5 8 2 1 6 5 7 4 2 2 1 2 1
W score 0 1 4 4 2 1 4 3 3 1 10 5 2 4 2 1 4 10 1 1 1 2 5 4 8 3 10`

Other differences:  
- Scrabble uses the OWL2 dictionary, while Words with friends uses ENABLE.  
- BINGO (using up all seven tiles from your hand) gives you 50 points on  
S, while 35 points on W.  
- S's center square is a Double Word Square, while W's center square is regular.  
- On Mobile S Apps, they show your score for the whole game. But on the W app, they don't.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: The Scrabble grid looks like a large X, while the W grid looks like an O.  
> **username_2**: What are OWL2 and ENABLE? Online dictionaries?  
> **username_4**: @jontia They are word lists. You can't make words outside the list.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2021-04-10. Score: -1

In addition to the different dictionary/word list, Words With Friends tiles and their values are actually a little different from what you can expect with Scrabble.

• 1 point for: E ×13, A ×9, I ×8, O ×8, T ×7, R ×6, S ×5
• 2 points for: D ×5, N ×5, L ×4, U ×4
• 3 points for: H ×4, G ×3, Y ×2
• 4 points for: B ×2, C ×2, F ×2, M ×2, P ×2, W ×2
• 5 points for: V ×2, K ×1
• 8 points for: X ×1
• 10 points for: J ×1, Q ×1, Z ×1
• 0 points for: 2 blank tiles

Source: [Words With Friends Solver](https://www.word-grabber.com/words-with-friends-cheat)

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Is this list any different from that in username_1's 8 year old answer?  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2012-11-10. Score: -7

Words with Friends is often referred to as the advance version of the Scrabble. The main differences of the two game is that Words with Friends can be played online with friends wherever they are. It also has a feature wherein players can even chat with each other while playing the game. In this article - <http://ezinearticles.com/?Tips-on-How-to-Play-Words-With-Friends&id=7125844>, you would learn more about Words with Friends and how it differs from Scrabble.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I'm referring to the board game version. Not the electronic version.  

---

