Alright, let’s talk about chasing that big score in Words With Friends. It’s something I got pretty obsessed with for a while, trying to nail my personal best.
Getting Started: The Usual Grind
Most games, you know how it is. You play decent words, maybe score 20-30 points here and there. You try to use the bonus squares, the Double Letters, Triple Words, all that stuff. Sometimes you get a good rack, sometimes it’s all vowels. That’s just the game. My average score used to hover around, maybe 350, pushing 400 on a really good day. But I knew there were bigger scores possible.
Focusing on the Big Guns: Strategy Time
So, I started getting more deliberate. My main thing became: hold onto the power tiles. You know, the Z, Q, X, J. And those blank tiles, pure gold. The ‘S’ tiles too, super useful for hooking onto existing words and extending plays.
It wasn’t just about holding them, though. The real trick was waiting for the right moment. It’s tempting to just play that ‘Z’ for a quick 20 points, but I forced myself to wait. I started scanning the board constantly, looking for openings near the Triple Word Score squares. That’s where the magic happens.
- Look for ways to hit multiple bonus squares at once. A Double Letter under your ‘X’ landing on a Triple Word? Yes please.
- Save blanks for either a Bingo (using all 7 tiles) or to make that killer play with a high-value letter on a bonus square.
- Don’t be afraid to play smaller words to set up a bigger play later. Leave a good spot open.
- Sometimes, swapping tiles is better than playing a low-scoring word, especially if you’re stuck with bad letters but see potential on the board.
The Game It Happened: Patience Pays Off
I remember this one game pretty clearly. Things were going okay, maybe slightly above average. I had an ‘X’ and a blank tile on my rack for a couple of turns. It was painful just holding them, seeing decent, but not great, plays pass me by. My opponent was pulling ahead slightly.
Then, the board opened up. There was a Triple Word score square with an ‘E’ next to it. And I could build down from an existing word. On my rack, I had the X, the blank, an A, T, I, O, N. I looked at it. Looked at the board. Back at my rack.
The play was there. I used the blank as an ‘S’. Placed the ‘X’ on the Triple Word square. The word stretched across, hitting a Double Letter score too with the ‘N’.
I spelled out ‘EXACTION‘.
Let’s break that down roughly in my head then:
X (8) on Triple Word = 24. Times 3 for the TW square = 72 points just for the X!
E (1)
A (1)
C (3)
T (1)
I (1)
O (1)
N (1) landing on a Double Letter = 2.
Blank (as S) = 0.
The base score wasn’t huge, maybe around 18-20 points before the big bonuses. But hitting that X on the TW was massive. Then the whole word score tripled! And I think I formed a couple of small connecting words too. When the points calculated, it flashed up something like 98 points for one word. Man, that felt good.
The Aftermath: Personal Best Achieved
That single play completely turned the game around. It wasn’t the theoretical maximum like ‘oxyphenbutazone’ or whatever crazy word that is, but it was my highest single-word score ever. It pushed my final game score well over 500 that day.
So, the process was really:
1. Patience: Holding valuable tiles even when it hurt.
2. Board Awareness: Constantly scanning for opportunities, especially around Triple Word squares.
3. Combining Bonuses: Trying to hit multiple bonus squares if possible.
4. A Bit of Luck: Getting the right tiles and the right board layout at the same time.
It’s a great feeling when that planning and patience finally pays off with a huge score. Still trying to beat that 98-point word, though!