DejiUpwords is an excellent choice for family game night or classroom use.
In addition to this, it is ideal for people with extensive vocabularies and those seeking to expand their vocabulary.
In any of these two cases, you’re sure to find Upwords thrilling.
You’ve come to the right page if you enjoy Scrabble or Words with Friends and are seeking a title with similar gameplay.
However, in contrast to these other games, Upwords allows you to really construct words on top of one another.
Continue reading to learn how to play Upwords.
How to Play Upwards – Rules & Instructions
Players: 2 – 4 players.
Age: 10 and up.
Difficulty: Medium
The Pack
- 1 plastic gameboard unit with an 8×8 grid
- 4 plastic tile racks
- 64 plastic letter tiles
- Illustrated instructions
The Game Setup
Turn all tiles over and combine them to form a draw pile.
Center the gameboard on the table.
Each participant is provided with a rack.
Get a pencil and paper to keep track of the game. Additionally, keep a dictionary on hand to verify the legitimacy and spelling of any disputed words. Only use the dictionary to resolve conflicts.
The Play
Invert the gameboard and attach the rubber feet when playing for the first time.
Then, return the gameboard to its original position and adhere the label sheet to the smooth surface.
Equip yourself with a pencil and paper to keep track of your progress.
Take a dictionary with you if you need to check whether or not sure words can be played.
Arrange all of the letters in the table’s middle. Invert the letters so that you cannot see them.
Each player should claim a letter tile. Everybody should take notice of the letter tiles.
The individual whose letter is closest to “A” will be the first to go.
Replace the letter tiles in the center of the table and shuffle the letters.
Take turns drawing seven letter tiles. Then, arrange the tiles on the rack and conceal your letter tiles from your opponents.
Player 1 will create a word consisting of two or more letters and set it on one of the gameboard’s four center tiles.
The subsequent players will take turns using one or more tiles to create words on the game board.
They can either make a new word that relates to an existing word on the board or stack the letters to alter the current words on the board.
Finally, calculate your points for ALL of the words you created and replace the tiles on the game board with fresh ones from the pile.
The Game Rules
When playing Upwords, the following rules must be followed:
You may only play words that read horizontally or vertically from left to right; you may not play words that read up or diagonally.
Any letter adjacent to your tiles must be used to create a new word.
You must arrange all letters in a single row during your turn, either across or down.
You cannot combine the two.
A stack cannot contain more than one new tile at a time.
To create a word multiple, you cannot just add an “s” at the end. Instead, you can add an “s” to a word to create a new word that is spelled differently.
No stack may exceed five tiles in height.
A letter cannot be stacked on top of another identical letter.
You cannot stack a tile onto every letter of another word; at least one tile must remain unmodified.
These are the basic rules for Upwords; however, many players choose to create their own.
The Scoring
You earn two points for each letter tile in any word constructed using only one letter tile (no letter in the word is piled on top of another letter).
You earn 1 point for each letter tile in a word produced by stacking letters two or more tiles high.
Calculate your score by counting each letter in your word and tile beneath each letter.
If you use the “Quiz” feature, you earn an additional two bonus points.
“Any word built with all letters just one tile high will contain a letter tile.
You won’t gain any bonus points for using the “In a word constructed with any of its letters that are more than one tile high, the “Qu” tile is used.
If you use all seven of your letter tiles in a single play, you earn an additional 20 bonus points.
Each word is scored if you form two or more words in the same turn.
Each word is scored on every letter or stack of letters shared by these two words.
After the game, your score is reduced by 5 points for each letter tile that cannot be played.
The Illegal Words
Any word that fits under one of the categories below is considered illegal and is not permitted to be used in the game.
Capitalized words are illegal.
Hyphenated words are illegal.
Words with apostrophes, abbreviations, and symbols are illegal.
Prefixes and suffixes, which cannot stand on their own, are illegal
Unless they appear in the dictionary, foreign words are illegal
The Challenge
If you believe a word your opponent plays is incorrectly spelt or illegal, you have the option to challenge it.
A word must be contested before the next word can be played.
If you’re unsure about the legality of a word, consult a dictionary.
Then, it’s up to the player who challenged the word to either play another word or pass if the contested word is illegal.
The Passing
At any time during the game, you can skip your turn.
However, it may be advantageous to miss a turn to give yourself a better chance of winning even near the end of the game.
The Exchange
To swap a tile, place it letter-side down in the draw pile and draw a new one.
Re-draw the tile you discarded and replace it in the draw pile.
Your turn to play is forfeited as a result.
Giving up a turn to trade a letter can be a practical approach.
In the latter stages of a game, for example, if you draw a “J” or a “Z,” it may be in your best interest to trade it for another card.
The Ending of the Game
The game is over:
When all of a player’s letter tiles have been used, and there are no more in the draw pile
The game might end in a variety of ways, including:
in cases where no one can create a word with the letters, they have left on their racks, and the draw pile (from which any player can trade a letter tile) is exhausted;
Everyone has had their turn and passed it on to the next player.
Add up the final scores of each participant after the game.
Each letter tile that a player does not play detracts 5 points from their score.
The Win
The game’s winner is that player who earns the most points.
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