Word Board Games that can improve your English language skill

Word board games are word manipulation games that can be played on cardboard. These games test your language and communication skills. Some of the famous word games, include Scrabble and Pictionary, and most of us might be aware of them.

However, there are other word games that you can play at your next family gathering. Read this article to know the top 10 Word board games to play in 2023.

Playing word games helps in improving your brain function and reduces the occurrence of spelling mistakes. They enhance your vocabulary, because every time you play these word board games, you become familiar with new words. Moreover, learning new words can help you express your thoughts more precisely. Playing word games requires your undivided attention, which can help you to be more focused.

Word board games that will improve your vocabulary

Playing word games helps in improving your brain function and reduces the occurrence of spelling mistakes. They enhance your vocabulary, because every time you play these word board games, you become familiar with new words. Moreover, learning new words can help you express your thoughts more precisely. Playing word games requires your undivided attention, which can help you to be more focused.

Here are the 9 best word board games to play in 2023:

1. Scrabble
2. Boggle
3. Quiddler
4. Tapple
5. Word on the street
6. Bananagrams
7. Pictomania
8. Mad libs
9. Pass the pen

Let us look at the each game in detail.

Scrabble

Price: Approx. INR 500-600

Scrabble is one of the most popular word board games that can be insanely pleasurable and challenging. It was launched in 1938 by Alfred Mosher Butts. This game has since become very popular.

The objective of the scrabble board game is to make words with the lettered tiles. The words are formed in a crossword format. You can score maximum points by making the most diverse set of words.

How to play?

Scrabble requires two or four players around the square board. There is a 15*15 grid of cells on the board. Each cell can be filled with a single letter title. You have to make the best word by using the seven-letter tiles. The words must be readable from left to right in rows and downward in columns. The game has a point system, where each alphabet has points attached to it. For example, the letters ‘Q’ and ‘Z’ are 10 points, whereas, the letters ‘D’ and ‘G’ are 2 points. Here is the point system for the scrabble board game:

Alphabets	Points
A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T, U	1 point
D, G	2 points
B, C, M, P	3 points
F, H, V, W, Y	4 points
K	5 points
J, X	8 points
Q, Z	10 points

Pros

• This game can increase your vocabulary and word-dealing skills.
• It can enhance your word spelling skills.

Cons

• The playtime is too long. It can take you hours to complete, and you might get bored.

Boggle

Price: Approx. INR 300-500

The objective of this word board game is to find as many words from the grid as possible. The game comes with a plastic grid of lettered dice, the primary tool of this game.

How to play?

You can play it solo or in a group. You have to search for the words that can be created from the dice letters. There must be three letters on a word, and you can’t use a cube with the same letter more than once per word. Three minutes after the start of the game, the one with the highest score is declared the winner.

Pros

• Boggle word board game has a faster gameplay time than scrabble. Moreover, the game enables you to think quickly as you are on a time crunch.

Cons

• The game is more challenging than scrabble as it does not allow you to have less than three letters in a word. So, you cannot use prefixes that are allowed in scrabble.

Quiddler

Price: Approx. INR 1000-1500

The objective of playing Quiddler is to search for a word from a set of lettered cards.

How to play?

At first, you will shuffle the cards and distribute them. There can be 1-8 players in a game. Each card has a letter. Your goal is to form one or more words from all the cards you have. You have 35 minutes to play. If you fail to spell a word, you can discard and take a new card. There are eight rounds in this word board game. In the first round, you have three cards to play; in the second round, you have four cards to play; and the number of cards will increase until the game ends with ten cards.

Pros

• Quiddler can be played in a group that you can play on your next game night.

Cons

• You do not have the flexibility on the letter count. For example, if you are playing a 4 card round, you need to make a word with only four letters.

Tapple

Price: Approx. INR 500-700

Tapple is a fast-paced word board game where the objective is to be the last person standing. In this game, you need to think about a word quickly within the timeframe.

How to play?

There is a disk containing all letters of the alphabet. There is a buzzer in the middle of the disk. You first select a category. Let’s say animals. The player with the first turn announces a word from the category, presses the letter down from which the word starts, and then presses the buzzer to reset the timer for the next player.

For example, under the animal category, you said Elephant. You will press the ‘E’ letter down, which indicates that no other player can now say a word starting with ‘E’, and then press the buzzer.

The second player announces another word by using another letter that is left on the disk. For example, ‘Cat’. They press the letter ‘C’ down and then pass the turn to the next player, by resetting the buzzer. The game goes on this way. If you don’t choose a letter quickly, the buzzer goes off and you will lose the game. The last player standing wins.

Pros

• This game tests your ability to make quick decisions that can help you to enhance your analytical skills.

Cons

• According to some buyers, the buzzer is annoying and loud.

Word on the street

Price: Approx. INR 3750.

The objective is to take eight letters off your side of the board; the player who does this first is the winner.

How to play?

It is a unique game where a street is represented by the letters placed on the board. You have to draw a category card and your team’s goal is to say words that match the category. After selecting a word your team can take all the letters in the words toward your side of the street. The team that gets eight letters on their street first wins.

Pros

• It helps develop better communication and team spirit among a group of players, fostering unity.

Cons

• The rules are complicated and as it is a timed game, the pressure is more. You get only 30 sec to think about the word as a team.

Bananagrams

Price: Approx. INR 3000-5000

The objective is to create a word grid in a race to the finish. The first player to use all their letter tiles is the winner. It is like scrabble but without a board.

How to play?

There are many lettered tiles in the game. You must create a word in a crosswords grid format with the help of the tiles. Fill all the tiles before your opponent to win this game. You can play the game in various ways. Just exercise your intelligence and win away!

Pros

• This is a good alternative to scrabble and the gameplay time is approx.. 30 mins and it’s portable. It does not have a playing board. So, you just need to carry a pouch of lettered tiles.

Cons

• Each player makes their own word grid and thus, the interaction between the players is less.

Pictomania

Price: Approx. INR 2000-3000

The objective of the game is to draw a given word. The game involves guessing the word, similar to Pictionary.

How to play?

It is a drawing-based game where everyone can get a chance to draw and guess. Players have to sketch a word with a few lines very quickly and have to guess the words described by others’ drawings. Everyone has to draw from a minimal set of words in each round.

Pros

• You can enhance your drawing and guessing skills by playing this game.

Cons

• If someone cannot draw properly, they can get bored with this game and fall behind.

Mad libs

Price: Approx.  INR 200-500

The objective of this word board game is to fill in the blanks with words to make a story.

How to play?

It is a fun game with words. You have to grab a pen and fill in the blanks; the blanks are a part of an incomplete story. Each blank can contain an adjective, a noun, or other parts of speech. You can make your phrase as silly as you can or make it serious.

Pros

• It helps you learn how to form English sentences and foster creativity & imagination.

Cons

• Some of the words are repetitive.

Pass the pen

Price: Approx. INR 6400

You can say it is the fastest game globally because you have only 10 seconds to score. The objective is to win the game by drawing and guessing.

How to play?

It is a group game and you have only 10 seconds to draw a figure, and your friends have to guess the drawing. If they guess the correct picture, you earn points. If not, you have to pass the pen to another.

Pros

• The game can help enhance your drawing and visualization skills.

Cons

• Abstract words may be difficult to explain through drawing, especially in only 10 seconds.

So, there you have it. Top word board games that you can play with your friends and family. These games are really helpful to include your skills, and vocabulary and sometimes they give you mental peace. Learning through games is important and these word board games bring you that opportunity.

Word Board Games – FAQs