Scrabble player? Beware of new words!

You may have heard the recent news that Scrabble is adding nearly 3,000 new words to a lexicon, including some slang terms. But don’t be afraid: they’re only for use outside of North America.

Collins Official Scrabble Words governs play outside of North America, whilst in the US and Canada competitive Scrabble is

ruled by a book known as the Official Tournament and Club Word List, or OWL (along with an addendum of 10- to 15-letter words known as The Long List. The over-the-counter source for school and home play, purged of “offensive” words, is The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. The North American lexicons are published by Merriam-Webster. (Source: Slate)

Wondering what’s the difference between the two lexicons? Apparently the British version is “larger and more permissive” than the North American – larger by 267,751 words to the OWLs 178,691. Take a look at the rest of the article for more Scrabble trivia.