Hey all you Words With Friends addicts out there! I’ve been asked in a few of my games how I score so many points, so I thought for my first post of the New Year I would share some of my strategies for racking up points. I don’t always win, but I do fairly well for myself. I’ve won all 10 of the last games I’ve played. So, here it is.

First and most important is to always aim for the bonus squares when making a word, and especially when you have a higher point letter to play like a Q or J and even if it means you only make a 2 or 3 letter word.

Secondly, play parallel to existing words on the board (rather than perpendicular), especially with the middle-value tiles like H and W. You get more points for playing 2 (or more) words at a time than for just one.

Third, don’t be afraid to guess at words right on the board by putting down letters that might look like a word. Sometimes I get lucky and make a random vocabulary word that I would never use IRL. You don’t have to have the dictionary memorized to score high on Zynga’s Words With Friends! When you’re guessing, place your higher valued tiles on the bonus squares and build from there.

Remember, winning at Words With Friends has very little to do with anagramming the biggest possible word from the tiles in your rack. It’s all about tile placement.

If you try this, let me know how it works out for you! Happy playing!