Scrabble Word Checker
Settle the argument. Type one word or every word a play forms, and see straight away whether each one is in the dictionary.
How word challenges work
In Scrabble, any player may challenge a word after it's played. If the word isn't in the agreed dictionary, the player takes the tiles back and scores nothing for the turn. If the word is valid, the challenger is penalised — under North American tournament rules they lose 5 points per challenged play (the "5-point penalty"), while casual and Collins-rules games often use "double challenge", where the challenger loses their next turn.
Because every word formed in the move counts, a single bad two-letter word hooking onto the side of your play sinks the whole move. That's why the checker accepts several words at once.
Surprising words that are valid
QI (a life force), ZA (slang for pizza), XU (a Vietnamese coin), AA (a type of lava) and CWM (a valley, with no vowel at all) are all in the list and all worth knowing. Browse more in the 2-letter and 3-letter word lists, or find plays for your rack with the Scrabble word finder.
Questions players ask
How do I check if a word is valid in Scrabble?
Type the word (or several, separated by spaces or commas) and press Check. Each word gets a clear valid or not-found verdict against a 269,870-word game dictionary, with its Scrabble and Words With Friends base scores.
Can I check a whole play with several words?
Yes. When a move forms more than one word, enter them all at once. In a challenge, a play is only valid if every word it forms is valid.
Why does a real word show as not found?
Game dictionaries leave out proper nouns, abbreviations, words with hyphens or apostrophes, and very new slang. OK, EW and ZEN were added to the official Scrabble lists recently, so a list may lag behind the latest edition. If your game accepts it, it is fine to play.
What does the definition button do?
It asks an AI model for a one- or two-line definition, so you can see what an obscure valid word means. Definitions are for curiosity; the valid/not-found verdict comes from the word list, not the AI.
Which dictionary is used?
A list derived from the open Letterpress word list, close to North American tournament play. Collins Scrabble Words, used in most other countries, is larger, so some valid Collins words may show as not found.