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Can you use conjunctions in Scrabble?

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For a word to be legally accepted in Scrabble, it must be included in the Scrabble dictionary agreed upon by players at the beginning of the game, and also legally placed on the board. Furthermore, all words that are part of the English language are legally accepted in the scrabble game.

Conjunctions in the English language are words that connect two or more clauses and sentences, or a player can use them to coordinate words used in the same clause. Such words include: but, and, if, or. 

Can you use conjunctions in scrabble? Yes, conjunctions are considered words in the official language. So, it’s legal to play them on scrabble board as long as they appear in the dictionary agreed upon by players at the beginning of the game. 

If the game is played at tournament level, a player must include conjunctions legal in the 4th edition of the Official Scrabble player’s dictionary. However, even if conjunctions are allowed, a player must follow the rules of placing the words properly on the board.

Conjunction as a word is also playable, and is worth 23 points, with letter score points as follows: C-3 points, O-one point, N-1 point, J-8 points, U-1 point, C-3 points, T-1 point, I-1 point, O-1 point, N-1 point and S- 1 point when making it plural.

The legitimacy of a conjunction word, when used in a scrabble game, depending on the dictionary used to play the game, players should agreed upon at the start of the game. Answered below are frequently asked questions about using conjunctions in Scrabble and where to find approved words for gameplay. 

What words are not allowed in Scrabble?

According to scrabble rules, the game association banned the following category of words from being played on a scrabble board after a furious debate.

  • Words that are considered to be racial or ethnic. For example, a word like Shiksha refers to a derogatory in the Jewish language.
  • Abusive words like f**k
  • Names of immortals like God
  • Abbreviations like TV, IQ, IE and others.
  • Words that are prefixes and suffixes that cannot stand alone. 
  • Words that require a hyphen or apostrophe to be complete.
  • Words that require capital letters somewhere.
  • Words from the foreign language have not been adapted to the English language yet.
  • Slang words that are not long enough to be included in the English dictionary.

Are compound words allowed in Scrabble?

Yes, as long as the meaning of the compound word used describes an object or something. Most compound words are persistently used in the English language such that they become part of the language. 

However, some of the compound words are not included in the dictionary, but they are commonly used worldwide. In such a case, players can consider compound words legal words in the game but under the mercy of the competitor who acts like a judge. 

Whenever a compound word is not found in the scrabble dictionary, the judge can choose whether the word will be permitted or not. Some of the compound words not found in the official Scrabble dictionary but still permissible on the board include: unpopular, hairless and marble floor. 

Some impermissible compound words not found in the scrabble dictionary includes Song-easy, Cat-dress and many others. 

Can proper nouns be used in scrabble?

Initially, pronouns were not allowed, but the Scrabble rules changed to allow for the first time in July 2010 to start using pronouns. Players were allowed to use the name of places, people’s names, or companies and brand names while creating words on the scrabble table. 

Mattel has brought up a new version that amended rules set to encourage young players to play. There are some pronouns allowed in the word list from the Collins dictionary.

However, there are some game versions like the New Zealand Scrabble association where pronouns are still banned.

Can you use conjunctions in Scrabble

Conjunctions in Scrabble: Conclusion 

There have been controversial statements on whether or not conjunction or pronouns should be allowed in Scrabble, so as long as the words are included in the dictionary than any word is good to go. 

Rules keep on changing as new versions of the game are produced, amending rules every time, and it’s always good to go through the rules of scrabble when setting-up the game.

Mixed reactions to the scrabble rules arise due to different house rules applied across the world. However, players can only follow the official rules whenever the game is played at the tournament level. 

A scrabble dictionary is an essential component to handling disputes within the game. Therefore, the dictionary’s choice to be used must be agreed upon by all the players before the gameplay is underway.

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