When you play Scrabble™ certain words can take on significant meanings, here Scrabble Champion Allan Simmons picks the words that he has played, which have also played a part in his life.
1.REIGNED
When I first started to compile anagrams I was surprised to find that this simple seven had no less than four anagrams and they’ve stuck ever since: ENERGID DREEING REEDING GREINED
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
2.PYENGADU
This word is aesthetically very pleasing having no duplicate letters, no common ending or beginning, and looks like just a jumble of letters. I first used it as a solution to a Scrabble puzzle I compiled and then played it a few years later.
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
3.ELEPHANT
A very ordinary word but not easy to see, and it was very rewarding to play it for a triple-triple word score through an E, contributing to a once-in-a-lifetime score of over 800, back in the 1980s.
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
4.MOREENS
The one that reminds me of playing Scrabble on a barging holiday with some fellow club players, when it emerged from my subconscious in the darkness of a tunnel to win a key game.
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
5.ELIXIR
The delightful word that won me the British Championships for the third time in 1991. I was down to the last minute of the clock, this word came from nowhere to score 63 and draw the final game, but sufficient to take the title.
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
6.GEODETIC
An impressive word played by the 1974 champion, Richard Sharp, and mentioned in a TV interview. This inspired me to look for eight-letter words no matter how unlikely the letters are. I’ve played it several times since.
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
7.REEDLING
This word won me an especially challenging game against a top player at a major event in North America, playing to a different (North American) Scrabble dictionary. REEDLING represents surviving in Scrabble!
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
8.RIDOTTOS
Pre-technology, to learn words it was necessary to scour the dictionary. RIDOTTO was one of the first unusual sevens that caught my eye, and it was satisfying to play its plural when holding an unplayable DISTORT soon after.
Full Collins Dictionary definition, here
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