Original research Published July 29, 2026
Scrabble vs. Words With Friends.
Same word. Different value.
We scored 270,658 dictionary words under both base tile systems to measure how letter values change averages, short power plays, and seven-letter rankings.
01 Key findings
WWF rewards more letters more heavily.
- 10 of 26 letters rise.Those increases compound as word length grows.
- Short words can swing sharply.A single high-value tile can materially separate the two scores.
- Length widens the average gap.More tiles create more opportunities for WWF’s higher values to accumulate.
- Board context still wins.Premium squares, hooks, and parallel plays can outweigh the base-score difference.
02 Tile values
Letter by letter.
Green cells mark letters that are worth more in Words With Friends. Every number is the printed base tile value before board multipliers.
03 Average by length
The gap grows with the word.
Each bar shows the average base tile score across every dictionary word of that length. Bonuses and board placement are excluded.
04 Biggest gainers
Words that benefit most.
These recognizable words gain the most base points when the same letters move from Scrabble values to Words With Friends values.
05 Short power words
Five letters or fewer.
Method Base scores only
How to read the results.
We scored all 270,658 unique entries in the English dictionary used by UnscramblerHQ with the standard English-language tile values stored in each game solver. Word rankings are narrowed to 59,276 words with evidence of ordinary English use.
Scores exclude the board: no double- or triple-letter squares, word multipliers, cross-words, rack bonuses, or house dictionary differences. This keeps the comparison focused on the value printed on each tile.
Download the aggregate study data (.json) ↓