How to Win at Boggle: 11 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

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parts

1Improving Your Game

2Staying Focused

3Remembering Important Rules

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Co-authored byOur Family Plays Games

Last Updated: July 11, 2024

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Boggle is a word search game that uses lettered dice to create words on a 4 by 4 grid board. The object of the game is to find as many connected words as you possibly can in just three minutes and get the highest score. Longer words earn higher scores than short words. You can improve your chances of winning Boggle by using strategies for higher scores and by keeping calm while you play the game. If you are new to the game, becoming more familiar with some of the key rules may also improve your chances of winning.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Improving Your Game

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  1. 1

    Watch for word endings that may give you a higher score. Plurals and words that end in -er, -ed, or –ing are good score boosters. Watch for these variations of words that you find. You won't always find them, but when you do you will increase your score.

  2. 2

    Split long words into smaller ones. If you find a long word, make sure that you also break it into its smaller components to maximize your points. For example, if you find the word “snowing,” then you should also add snow, now, wing, owing, and win to your list.

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  3. 3

    Check for word reversals. Sometimes words make other words when they are spelled backwards. For example, the word “reed” can be turned into “deer” when you spell it backwards. Check your words for reversibility as you record them and write down any reversals that you find.

  4. 4

    Memorize the most common Boggle word beginnings. Although your fellow players are likely to find the common words on the board, it is a good idea to know the most common Boggle word beginnings so that you can watch for them and try to make longer words out of them.[1] Some of the most common Boggle word beginnings include:

    • over-
    • char-
    • stra-
    • scar-
    • comp-
    • quin-
    • rese-
    • stri-
    • gall-
    • outs-
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  1. 1

    Ignore the timer. Although you may be tempted to watch the timer or keep checking it to see how much time is left, resist this urge. If you are always watching the timer, then you will lose precious time that you could be looking for words. Do your best to ignore the timer and just focus on the Boggle board.[2]

  2. 2

    Take a deep breath and stay calm. If you are flustered, then it will be harder to find words. Try your best to stay calm as you play Boggle. Try taking a deep breath before you begin the game and at any time during the game when you feel overwhelmed or anxious.[3]

    • Remember that you are playing the game to have fun! Try your best to just enjoy yourself and you may find it easier to focus.
  3. 3

    Let the words flow. Sometimes you may want to look for difficult words rather than noticing the words that are right in front of you, but this is a mistake. Don't censor yourself when you are playing Boggle. Just write down every word that you notice, even if you are unsure if it is spelled correctly or if it is a real word.[4]

  4. 4

    Keep looking if you get stumped. Sometimes you won't see any words right away, but don't assume that there are no words and give up. They might just be less common or longer words that will take some time to find. Keep looking for words until time is up.[5]

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Part 3

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Remembering Important Rules

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  1. 1

    Keep in mind that long words get higher scores. While short words are easier to find in Boggle and you will find more short words than long ones, try to find as many long words as you can. The longer the word, the higher the score. For example, a seven letter word earns 5 points, while a four letter word only earns 1 point.[6]

  2. 2

    Try to find uncommon words. In Boggle, words that more than one player finds are crossed off and do not count towards your score. Therefore, it is a good idea to look for less common words. Of course, you should write down any and all words that you find, but uncommon words are more likely to count towards your score in the end.[7]

  3. 3

    Disregard duplicate words. You cannot claim credit for the same word twice, even if it is in two places on the board. Therefore, don't waste your time writing down duplicate words. Just keep looking for new words and disregard the duplicate words.[8]

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  • Question

    What are tickets used for?

    How to Win at Boggle: 11 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (17)

    Community Answer

    In the mobile version there are tickets used for live tournaments.

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  • Question

    What is the maximum time limit in Boggle?

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    Community Answer

    According to Wikipedia, the time limit has been extended to four minutes from the previous limit of three minutes.

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  • Question

    How do you earn power-ups?

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    Amina Salim Twahir

    Community Answer

    To obtain power-ups, you can purchase them with coins or earn them from daily bonuses and challenges. As of right now, there four power-ups available that all have different abilities. The Swap+ power-up allows you to swap out tiles without losing your turn.

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      Tips

      • Try using an electronic timer that beeps instead of the sand timer that comes with the game. That way you will know that the game has ended without having to look at the timer.

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      Warnings

      • Don't let your opponent(s) see your words!

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      Things You'll Need

      • Boggle game
      • Paper and pen
      • Instructions
      • Timer (either electronic or sand)

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      Expert Interview

      Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about playing board games, check out our in-depth interview with Our Family Plays Games.

      About This Article

      How to Win at Boggle: 11 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (36)

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      This article was co-authored by Our Family Plays Games. Our Family Plays Games, LLC is a family-owned business based in Omaha, Nebraska. Launched in 2018, their mission is to promote growth and awareness of the modern board game hobby and bring more BIPOCs and families into the board game community. In June 2020 they were featured on Good Morning America and have since been featured on NBC News Online, Senet Magazine (UK), Ligadas.com (Brazil), a variety of YouTube programs, podcasts, and on local television. In January of 2022, they launched a second program on their channel, called OFPG Voices to highlight other underrepresented voices in the hobby. In addition, they make special appearances at board game conventions all around the country and work with board game publishers from around the world. This article has been viewed 139,439 times.

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      How to Win at Boggle: 11 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

      FAQs

      How do people get such high scores in Boggle? ›

      Keep in mind that long words get higher scores.

      While short words are easier to find in Boggle and you will find more short words than long ones, try to find as many long words as you can. The longer the word, the higher the score.

      Can you zig zag in Boggle? ›

      Connect adjacent letters -- horizontally, vertically, or diagonally -- to unscramble and form valid words. You can zig-zag your way around the grid, but you cannot use the same cube more than once per word. Each word must be at least three letters long.

      What is the longest word found in Boggle? ›

      Using the sixteen cubes in a standard Boggle set, the list of longest words that can be formed includes inconsequentially, quadricentennials, and sesquicentennials, all seventeen-letter words made possible by q and u appearing on the same face of one cube.

      How to score big boggle? ›

      Three and four letter words are scored one point, five letter words two points. six letter wOeds three points, seven letter words four points, and eight letter words or longer eleven points.

      Is Boggle good for your brain? ›

      From crossword puzzles and word searches to Jumble, Wordle, Scrabble and Boggle, word games offer many surprising benefits that can have a significant impact on your mental health, cognitive abilities, and social skills.

      What words are not allowed in Boggle? ›

      Proper nouns are definitely not allowed. You could just play with the dictionary but exclude the proper nouns. You could also get an Official Scrabble Dictionary or use the official Scrabble website's built in dictionary: http://www.hasbro.com/scrabble/en_US/.

      Do 2 letter words count in Boggle? ›

      Words must be at least three letters long.

      What is the goal of the Boggle game? ›

      Boggle is a word game where the objective is to have the most points at the end of the game of each three minute game. The game consists of 16 six sided letter cubes that are held in a small plastic grid with a covered lid.

      Can you use plurals in Boggle? ›

      Full credit is awarded for both the singular and plural forms of a noun-provided that the player has listed them as separate words. The letter "Z" has a line under it and should not be seen as the word "IN" • Common words tend to be found by more than one player.

      What skills does Boggle work on? ›

      Here are four great ways to use Boggle to strengthen your child's spelling and vocabulary skills. 1. .Build vocabulary. Kids will be introduced to new words throughout gameplay as they learn from one another's lists of found words.

      How to become good at Boggle? ›

      You can speed up the process with some helpful tips and strategies, listed below.
      1. If You Find a Bigger Word, Get All The Little Words Inside It. ...
      2. Look for Hooks. ...
      3. Learn To Look For Patterns. ...
      4. S Is Your Best Friend. ...
      5. Don't Look at the Clock. ...
      6. Don't Search, React. ...
      7. Achieve Boggle Zen To Win!
      Mar 12, 2021

      Can you use the same word twice in Boggle? ›

      The word can't just loop back and re- use the same E. Words cannot be a proper noun, such as a name or place. In boggle, you only earn points if no one else has found the same word. If any two players have that word, then the word must be crossed off each list.

      Can you jump letters in Boggle? ›

      The goal of Boggle is to score points by finding words in the random letters in the grid. The letters you use must be touching vertically, horizontally, or diagonally in a chain. You can't skip or "jump" across letters.

      What is the average Boggle score? ›

      A Boggle New board averages about 133 words for a total of about 193 points, a modest increase from older versions of the game. The graphs below show the word count and point total distributions of both versions of the game.

      How do people get so many points on words with friends? ›

      Extend words with suffixes and prefixes.

      Transform their play into even more points by adding a prefix or suffix to the word, like “UN-,” “-ED,” “-ER,” or “-ES.” Prefixes and suffixes are a great way to turn your opponent's own gameplay against them!

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