Hand everybody the same seven letters and watch one person find a seven-letter word while somebody else quietly collects a dozen little ones. I like to give both kinds of word hunters a chance. You can play this National Scrabble Day warm-up with paper and a pencil at each seat.
What is National Scrabble Day?
National Scrabble Day is April 13, a celebration of wordplay, clever placements, and the pleasure of finding a word in a handful of letters. New players can join with a simpler word-building game before trying a full board.
The inventor’s birthday gives the day its date
The observance honors Alfred Mosher Butts on his April 13 birthday. Scrabble clubs use the occasion to recognize the inventor and bring players together. It is a fitting tribute to a game that combines vocabulary with choices about space, timing, and which letters to save. Orlando Scrabble Club’s account of the birthday celebration.
A simple way to enjoy the day
Try building as many familiar words as possible from one set of letters, then share a favorite discovery. Agree on your dictionary before competitive play. For beginners, explaining a word can be more useful than counting its points.
Holiday dates for planning
| Observance | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Scrabble Day | Monday, April 13, 2026 | Tuesday, April 13, 2027 | Thursday, April 13, 2028 | Friday, April 13, 2029 | Saturday, April 13, 2030 |
National Scrabble Day date reference
Deal a rack to the whole table
Keep the sample answers face down. Show one rack at a time and give everyone two minutes to write words of three letters or more. Use a letter only as often as it appears in that rack. Agree beforehand to use ordinary dictionary words and skip names and abbreviations. Younger players can work with a partner or hunt for two-letter words together.
Make the scoring quick
Mark one point per different valid word on your own list. Duplicates across players still count. Earn one extra point if you found a word nobody else wrote, and one extra if you tied for the longest word or found it outright. A player needs at least one valid word to earn a bonus. Write the total on the scorecard and rotate who reads the rack.
Have one more look
Read a few guesses before checking the example answers. Those examples are a starting point, so let someone make a dictionary case for a different word. If the timer rattles your youngest player, do one quiet untimed round as a team. Saving the last rack for breakfast makes a fine excuse for a rematch.
Get the free printable set
Seven-Letter Family Word Challenge includes these three US Letter activity sheets: Six letter racks. Word hunter and host key. Family word scorecard.