April 13

National Scrabble Day

Celebrate National Scrabble Day with your friends and family - challenge each other to a friendly game and find out who has the best word skills!

Yearly Date

April 13

Observed in

United States

Introduction

Celebrate National Scrabble Day on April 13th by challenging your friends to a game of classic word-building! This day has been around since the 1950s, when it was first created to celebrate the popular board game. It's a great opportunity for family and friends to come together and have some fun while exercising their brains.

National Scrabble Day Timeline

1938

Scrabble's Conception

Alfred Mosher Butts, an American architect, created the game as a variation of an earlier word game he invented called Lexiko.

1948

Scrabble's Official Registration

Scrabble was officially registered as a trademark by James Brunot, who refined and marketed the game.

1952

Surge in Popularity

Scrabble became a popular board game after the president of Macy's discovered the game while on vacation.

1971

First Scrabble Championship

The first-ever World Scrabble Championship took place, increasing the game's popularity amongst competitive players.

2005

Launch of Online Scrabble

The first licensed internet version of Scrabble was released, allowing players from different locations to play against each other online.

2016

Introduction of New Words

More than 6,500 new words were added to the official Scrabble player's dictionary including emoji, twerk and hashtag.

How to Celebrate National Scrabble Day

1 Play a game of Scrabble

Get together with friends, family, or classmates and play a game of Scrabble. Make it interesting by adding a few unique twists on the rules.

2 Create your own Scrabble board

Using some large pieces of paper, draw out your own Scrabble board. You can also use wooden boards and tiles to make it look like the real thing.

3 Organize a Scrabble tournament

Invite all your favorite word wizards to join in on a tournament. Make sure to have plenty of snacks and drinks on hand so nobody gets hungry or thirsty.

4 Have a Scrabble night

Have an evening dedicated to Scrabble where everyone in attendance has to bring something scrabble related. Whether it's food, decorations, or even their own scrabble sets.

5 Make scrabble art

Break out those unused scrabble tiles and get creative! Make pictures, words, or anything else you can think up using the tiles.

Why We Love National Scrabble Day

It's a great way to connect with friends

Scrabble is the perfect game for bringing friends and family together. No matter how long it's been since you last saw each other, playing a game of Scrabble will always take you back to the good times! Plus, it's a great way to spend quality time with loved ones and make new memories.

It sharpens your word skills

Even if you're not an avid reader or wordsmith, playing a game of Scrabble will inevitably improve your spelling and vocabulary skills. It's also a great way to learn more about language; as you search for potential words on the board, you can build an understanding of their meanings and origins.

It's fun!

Of course, one of the best things about Scrabble is that it's just plain fun. You never know what opportunities await you on your journey around the board. And because every game is different, there are always new strategies to employ and challenges to overcome!