Revision as of 21:20, 18 July 2014

This page lists various official sanctioned records achieved in competitive SCRABBLE® play in North America and overseas.

The records in each category are classified further based on the environment (tournament or club) and by the dictionary used (OWL or CSW, ignoring the specific edition).

In the words listed, lowercase letters stand for blanks and paranthesised letters stand for tiles already on the board. An asterisk (*) means that the word is a phoney or that the score is known to include phoneys. An octothorp (#) means that the word is acceptable in SOWPODS but not in OTCWL.

A question mark means that some detail of the record is unknown or questionable. All records are subject to revision as appropriate. Any scoring and score reporting errors are corrected before considering a play or game for a record, regardless of whether such errors were corrected in tournament standings or not.

To submit a new record, please provide all available documentation for the record to the Ratings and Recognition Committee's record admin.

See also our more general article about SCRABBLE History.

Highest winning game score

Highest combined game score

Highest tie game score

Highest winning game spread

Highest losing game score

Lowest winning game score

This category excludes games where either player received a time penalty.

Lowest combined game score

This category excludes games where either player received a time penalty.

Highest average score per turn

Highest word score

Phonies are not permitted.

Highest opening word score, no phoneys

Phonies are not permitted.

The theoretical maximum (using either OTCWL or SOWPODS) is 128 for MUZJIKS without blanks.

Highest closing word score, no phoneys

In NASPA play, twice the value of leftover tiles is added to the score of the closing player. In international play, the value of leftover tiles is subtracted from the player's score and added to the closing player's score.

Highest non-bingo word score, no phoneys

Highest non-triple-triple word score, no phoneys

Records in this category have not been kept systematically, so there could be many higher scores.

Longest word, no phoneys

Ties in this category are broken by the number of tiles played.

Most bingos by one player in a game

Tournament, OTCWL

1. 7: Nigel Peltier, July 2, 2010, Reno NV
   • PINTOES, ACONITE, RAPIDLY, INFOLDED, EMIRATE, SHEARING, DAtABLE
2. 7: Joel Sherman, December 9, 2011, Stamford CT
   • CRUMPɭED, OUTRATED, COTHURNI, TRAVOISE, SHAKING, aVENGED, AIRLINE

Tournament, SOWPODS

Club, OTCWL

1. 7: Chuck Armstrong, January 1993, Club #115, Livonia MI
   • MUCILAGE, LANGSYNE, OGREISMS, BANNERS, METAPHOR, AWAITER, REOBJECT
2. 7: Robert Kahn, March 3, 2010, Club #276, Lauderhill, FL
   • HAEMOID, sTARTLE, INSERTS, ENVIOUS, BEPAINT, RE(E)CHOEd 185, TEARIES(T).
3. 7: Judy Levitt, February 2, 2011, Club #44, Los Angeles, CA
   • MEDICOS, BATTLES, DU(S)TBINS, WIELDIER, ZOO(G)LEA, EAGERER, PEACING

Most bingos by both players in a game

Tournament, OTCWL

1. 8: Nigel Peltier and Jeff Martin, July 2 2010, Reno NV (no phoneys)
   • PINTOES, ACONITE, RAPIDLY, INFOLDED, EMIRATE, SHEARING, DAtABLE; CORNIEsT
2. 8: Joel Sherman and Bradley Robbins, December 9 2011, Stamford CT
   • ISOLATES, CRUMPɭED, OUTRATED, COTHURNI, TRAVOISE, SHAKING, aVENGED, AIRLINE
3. 8*: Winter and Rob Robinsky, January 17 2009, Twin Cities Redeye (one phoney)
   • AMNESTIC, ORIGINAL, NORTHERS, FAVORITE; EXUVIAL, ISOGAMIC*, REPARTEE, SPINDLES

Tournament, SOWPODS

Club, OTCWL

1. 8: Steven Saul and Joel Horn, October 7 2004, Club #108, Lexington MA (also most consecutive bingos by both players, most consecutive opening bingos by both players)
   • HObNAIL, (A)ZURITEs, OUTPRAY(S), VETE(R)ANS, FLAGONS, DOC(T)RINE, ELUTION, F(L)EABITE
2. 8: Robert Kahn and Ian Weinstein, October 26 2011, Club #276, Lauderhill FL
   • TAKEOUTS, LAVENDER, OPUNTIAS, RUINABLE, MAULERS, WATERLOG, TRACHLE, MIDLINES
3. 8: Greg Edwards and Steve Pellinen, December 13 2011, Club #42, Minneapolis, MN
   • TENACES, FABULIST, SHAGGIEST, TABOOED, sOUVENIR, FRIGHTED, AREOLAE, MODERNER
4. 8: Robert Kahn and Ian Weinstein, August 22 2012, Club #276, Lauderhill FL
   • HIDEABLE, FASTENER, OATcAKE, OuSTING, FLAXIER, OVERLEND, ORALISM, DITHERS

Most consecutive bingos by one player

Tournament, OTCWL

1. 6: Kevin Fraley, July 2006, Reno NV (also most consecutive opening bingos by one player)
   • REOILI(N)G, MARINER(S), cO(N)TRITE, (O)UTMODED, DUN(E)LIKE, GARDEN(E)R

Tournament, SOWPODS

1. 5: Jeremy Hildebrand, November 2012, Kingston Cup, Gananoque, ON
   • sPONDEE 78, CONCERTO 76, AMBEROID 85, OLEFINS 92, SECURITY 67

Club, OTCWL

1. 6: Jamie Ryan, February 27, 2014, Club #108, Lexington MA
   • OUTCATCH, EULOGIAS, PENNINES, HAIRLINE, WEIGHTY, BUTTONED
2. 5: Craig Rowland, October 2010, Club #422, Mississauga ON
   • ADIPOSE, RATIONED, HOGTIES, FROGGIER, TITIVATE

Most consecutive bingos by both players

Tournament, OTCWL

Tournament, SOWPODS

1. 7(?): Russell Byers and Shiela Spate, Nottingham, England
   • SHINIER, ANEARING, HAPTERON#, BATEMENT, OVERUSE,

SCREAMED, CLOSURES (OSW?)

1. 5(?): Travis Chaney and Iffy Onyeonwu

Club, OTCWL

1. 5: Steven Saul and Joel Horn, October 7 2004, Club #108, Lexington MA (also most bingos by both players, most consecutive opening bingos by both players)
   • HObNAIL, (A)ZURITEs, OUTPRAY(S), VETE(R)ANS, FLAGONS

Most consecutive games won

Tournament, OTCWL

1. 31: Tom Adams, 1993 (lower divisions)
2. 28: Dan Pratt, 1986 (division 1)

Tournament, SOWPODS

Club, OTCWL

1. 34: Tim Adamson, 1992, Club #42, Minneapolis, MN
2. 31: Ian Weinstein, 2009–2010, Club #276, Lauderhill, FL

Highest cumulative spread

Tournament, OTCWL

1. +3611: Jason Bednarz, July 1999, Reno, (35–4, 1st place division 3)
2. +3061: Jon Rumzis, 2004 National SCRABBLE Championship, (28–2, 1st place division 7)
3. +2758: Bradley Robbins, 2008 National SCRABBLE Championship, (24–4, 1st place division 6)
4. +2691: Joey Krafchick, 2001, The Players Championship, (25.5–5.5, 1st place division 5)

Tournament, SOWPODS

1. +3814: Ganesh Asirvatham, December 2006, 5th Causeway Challenge (22–3, 1st place)
2. +3191: Nigel Richards, August 12–16, 2010, 2010 World Players Championship, Addison TX (24.5;–7.5, 1st place)
3. +3110: Nigel Richards, January 2008, UK Open (31–7, 1st place)
4. +3014: Nigel Richards, December 2008, 7th Causeway Challenge (30–15, 4th place)
5. (?) +2812: Richard Geria, July 31–August 1, 2010, 7th African Championships and Causeway Qualifier, Uganda (1st place)
6. +2738: Ganesh Asirvatham, December 2004, 3rd Causeway Challenge (23.5–5.5, 1st place)

Club session, OTCWL

Highest average game score

Tournament, OTCWL

1. 531.5: Jackson Smylie, 2013 National SCRABBLE Championship Early Bird, Las Vegas NV, (one-day 4 rounds)
2. 500+(?): Jim Geary (one-day)
3. 495.33(?): Kenji Matsumoto, June 30 2007, Reno NV Late Bird (one-day 6 rounds)
4. 485.29(?): Christopher Sykes, November 2007, Brantford ON (one-day 7 rounds)
5. 484.18: Doug Brockmeier, July 2011, Elmhurst IL, (11 rounds)
6. 470.11: Chris Cree, May 2007, Houston TX (18 rounds)
7. 467.36: Joel Sherman, October 1992, Wisconsin Dells WI (11 rounds)

Tournament, SOWPODS

1. 487.43: Dave Wiegand, September 11, 2010, Portland OR (one-day)
2. 473.07: Ron Hoekstra, October 2–3, Victoria BC (multiday)
3. 470.33: Max Panitch, September 12–13, 2009, Toronto ON (multiday)

Club session, OTCWL

Most consecutive tournament wins

1. 10: Brian Williams, May 2003 – November 2007
2. 7: Dan Pratt, June 2007 – January 2009
3. 6: Chuck Armstrong, December 2000 – September 2001

Sources

Scrabble FAQ: records: Steven Alexander: Scrabble Frequently Asked Questions

Total SCRABBLE: Keith W. Smith: The (Un)Official SCRABBLE® Record Book, Jan 2009

Scrabble records: Wikipedia article

Australian Records: Australian Scrabble Players Association (ASPA)

ABSP all-time records: Association of British Scrabble Players (ABSP)