Scrabble was invented in the early 1930s by Alfred Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect, who designed it as a word game combining anagrams and crossword style play. It went through several names and years of quiet obscurity before a chance sale to Macy's in the early 1950s turned it into a nationwide hit almost overnight.
An architect with time on his hands
Butts lost his architecture job during the Great Depression and began designing word games as a side project, analyzing letter frequency in newspapers by hand to decide how many of each tile to include and what each should be worth, the same basic point system still used today.
From Lexiko to Criss-Cross Words to Scrabble
Butts's early versions, called Lexiko and later Criss-Cross Words, struggled to find a manufacturer. It wasn't until he partnered with James Brunot in 1948 that the game was refined, renamed Scrabble, and trademarked in its now familiar form.
The Macy's story that changed everything
According to the most commonly told version of the story, Macy's chairman Jack Straus played Scrabble on vacation, enjoyed it, and was surprised his own department store didn't carry it. He ordered it stocked, and demand exploded almost immediately, turning a game that had sold modestly for years into one Brunot's small operation couldn't produce fast enough.
Scrabble today
Scrabble is now published in more than thirty languages and remains one of the best selling word games worldwide, with an active competitive tournament scene and its own regional word lists, including NWL in North America and Collins Scrabble Words used in much of the rest of the world.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented Scrabble?
Alfred Mosher Butts, an unemployed architect, who created the game's core design in the early 1930s during the Great Depression.
What was Scrabble originally called?
Butts's early versions went by Lexiko and later Criss-Cross Words before the game was refined and renamed Scrabble after a 1948 partnership with James Brunot.
How did Scrabble become popular?
According to the most widely told account, Macy's chairman Jack Straus played it on vacation, liked it, and was surprised his store didn't stock it. Once he ordered it in, demand took off rapidly.
How did Butts decide on letter values and tile counts?
He hand analyzed letter frequency in contemporary newspapers to work out how often each letter appeared in typical English, then set tile counts and point values accordingly, a system still used today.
Is Scrabble played the same way worldwide?
The core rules are consistent, but different regions use different official word lists. NWL is standard in North America, while Collins Scrabble Words is used in most of the rest of the world.
Related reading
The Highest Scoring Scrabble Words, By The Numbers
We calculated tile values across our dictionary to find the highest scoring Scrabble words at seven and eight letters, not the usual repeated examples.
ScrabbleEvery Two Letter Scrabble Word: The Complete List
The complete list of two letter words in our dictionary, essential for parallel plays and tight endgame positions in Scrabble and Words with Friends.
ScrabbleWords With Q But No U: A Real List For Word Games
Every word in our dictionary containing Q without a following U. Essential knowledge for Scrabble and Words with Friends when U isn't available.