The '''SOWPODS''' lexicon, more commonly now referred to as '''CollinsScrabble Words''' or ('''Collins Scrabble WordsCSW''' (), formerly known as the '''CSWSOWPODS''')lexicon, is a word list first published in 2007 by Collins, and updated in 2012, 2015, 2019, and 2021. NASPA has sanctioned official games played in the CSW lexicon in a separate [[SOWPODS rating system|CSW rating system]] since January 2010. The 2012 edition was in effect until August 31, 2015; the 2015 edition took effect on September 1, 2015; the 2019 edition took effect on July 1, 2019. The 2021 edition will take effect on December 1, 2021.<!--
[[Image:CSW_countries.png|400px|center|alt Map of the CSW world]]
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English-language Scrabble as a whole is played to two lexica, depending on country. This map shows countries [1] according to the lexicon(s) they use. Currently, 48 49 countries use CSW (green), and 3 use predominantly the Official Tournament and Club [[NASPA Word List 2016 edition ([[OTCWL|OTCWL16]], the North American lexicon), with some CSW play. These countries, shown in blue, are Canada, ThailandIsrael, and the United States.<!--
== Statistics ==
* The 2015 edition includes all of the words that are acceptable in the current North American OTCWL16 word list, with the exception of 59 2-8 letter words, and 1844 9-15 letter words
* In 2014, 8% of all games played were CSW-rated, the remainder being played in the [[OTCWL]] lexicon
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== Coinage ==
== More information ==
The purpose of these webpages is to provide informative and, hopefully, interesting information to those North American tournament and club players who are curious about trying out the CSW game. They do not, therefore, aim to introduce Scrabble play as a whole, but those parts of it that change if one moves from playing OTCWL NWL to playing CSW. Thus, we start with how the game differs from OTCWLNWL, introduce the most useful extra words to know, address some commonly asked questions and concerns, then describe the current CSW scene as it is evolving in North America. Finally, we present links to further resources outside of this wiki.
The sections below follow on from each other in order, but each can be read on its own.