How Many Letter Tiles Are in Scrabble? (2024)

Scrabble is the most popular word game ever published. You score points in Scrabble by creating words with letter tiles on a game board either online or on a physical board. Each tile is assigned a point value, and as players form a new word or modify a previously played word, they record their score for the word. At the end of the game, when all the tiles have been drawn and one player uses all his tiles, the game ends. Whoever has the highest number of points wins the game.

Below, learn the value of the various Scrabble tiles to give you an advantage in your next game.

Total Number of Scrabble Tiles

You'll find 100 tiles in a standard game of Scrabble, but the distribution of these tiles isn't even. There are more tiles for vowels than for most of the consonants.

Here are the number of Scrabble tiles assigned to each letter. There are two blank or Wild tiles in the game.

A – 9 tiles
B–2 tiles
C–2 tiles
D–4 tiles
E-12 tiles
F-2 tiles
G-3 tiles
H-2 tiles
I-9 tiles
J-1 tile
K-1 tile
L-4 tiles
M-2 tiles
N-6 tiles
O-8 tiles
P-2 tiles
Q-1 tile
R-6 tiles
S-4 tiles
T-6 tiles
U-4 tiles
V-2 tiles
W-2 tiles
X-1 tile
Y-2 tiles
Z-1 tile

Blank/Wild – 2 tiles

This distribution information comes in handy in many circ*mstances, but especially because it points out that there is only one J, K, Q,X, and Z in the game; these particular tiles are assigned high numerical values andprovide the best opportunities for high scores. As a game of Scrabble progresses, you may be able to discern which opponent is holding a high-value tile and play to thwartit* use.

Scrabble Tile Numerical Values

The total point value of all 100 tiles is 187. Although all tiles have value, some are worth much more than others. In Scrabble, you want to form as many high-scoring words as you can—don't play low-scoring words when other possibilities exist (for example, "Ark" is worth 7 points, whereas "Are" is worth only 3). The numerical values of the tiles are distributed as follows:

• A, E, I, O, U, L, N, S, T, and R are worth one point each.
• D and G have a value of two points.
• B, C, M, and P are worth three points each.
• F, H, V, W, and Y are assigned values of four points each.
• K is the only tile with a value of five points.
• J and X have a value of eight points.
• Q and Z are worth 10 points each.

Tips for Beginning Scrabble Players

Below are some tips for beginning Scrabble players who want to maximize point value.

• Master the 101 two-letter Scrabble words.
• Move on to the three-letter words and learn many of those, particularly the ones with high-scoring letters.
• Be ready with words that use the Z, Q, or K if you draw that tile.
• Watch for opportunities to add a letter (or letters) to another player's word to expand it and count both his tile points and your own. The S tile is the most popular addition, but there are many more possibilities.
• Know when to fold 'em. If you draw tiles that leave you with no plays or only low-scoring plays, turn in your tiles and redraw (warning: this costs you a turn).
• Play defensively by not playing a word that another player can easily modify. He'll get your points and his if he can add even a single letter to your word to form a new word.