NASPA Word List

The NASPA Word List (NWL) has been the official word reference for SCRABBLE play in the United States and Canada since March 1, 2019, when it replaced the Official Tournament and Club Word List. It is edited by the NASPA Dictionary Committee.

The currently effective edition is the 2023 edition (NWL2023).

The NWL 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.

NWL2018

The first edition of NWL was released in electronic form in December 2018 and took effect on March 1, 2019, as voted by the Advisory Board.

This edition is edited by the Dictionary Committee under the chairmanship of John Chew according to the NWL2018 editorial process.

NWL2020

The second edition of NWL was released in electronic form in October 2020 and took effect on January 6, 2021, as voted by the Advisory Board.

This edition is edited by the Dictionary Committee under the chairmanship of John Chew.

NWL2023

The third edition of NWL has been finalized and will replace NWL2020 on a date to be determined by the Advisory Board.

This edition is edited by the Dictionary Committee under the chairmanship of John Chew.