You are viewing a condensed mobile version of this NASPA webpage.
Switch to full version.
The NASPA School Word List (NSWL), formerly School SCRABBLE Word List (SSWL), is the official word list used in School SCRABBLE competitions. It consists of those words that are acceptable in the regular NASPA Word List (NWL) that are considered appropriate for school use.
The currently effective edition is the 2018 edition (NSWL2018).
The NSWL is the first word list that NASPA has made available to software developers through a licensing process. Please contact us if you would like to use our word list in your application.
NSWL is available to NASPA members for electronic study and tournament adjudication purposes in the NASPA Zyzzyva program. Since its inception, School SCRABBLE competitors have been granted complimentary season membership to gain access to this tool.
The word list is also available for personal use as a free download (password required) through NASPA Member Services.
NSWL is not currently available in printed form.
In the earliest days of School SCRABBLE, tournaments were adjudicated using paper dictionaries such as OTCWL, Long List and MWCD, supplemented with lists of words excluded as being inappropriate for the school community.
When Zyzzyva grew in popularity, ad hoc unlicensed electronic versions of word lists were prepared each year, and typically mislabelled as being editions of OSPD5.
Beginning in 2015, the NASPA Dictionary Committee formally named the word list it prepared the School SCRABBLE Word List (SSWL2015), and made it available in electronic form to licensed users of NASPA Zyzzyva.
In 2016, SSWL2016 was released, incorporating updates included by the NASPA Dictionary Committee in OTCWL2016.
In 2018, SSWL2018 was released, incorporating updates from OSPD6 and OTCWL2018.
In 2019, SSWL2018 was rebranded as NSWL2018.
In 2020, NSWL2020 was released, deleting offensive slurs from [[NSWL2018]. It will take effect on January 6, 2021.
This page was last edited on 19 October 2020, at 16:12. Privacy policy
Copyright © 2021 North American SCRABBLE Players Association. All rights reserved. HASBRO is the owner of the registered SCRABBLE® trademark in the United States and Canada. The SCRABBLE trademark is owned by J.W. Spear and Sons, PLC, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. outside of the United States and Canada. For more information about SCRABBLE brand products or NASPA, or to comment on or correct the contents of this page, or to report technical difficulties in reading this page, please email us.