Scrabble Opening Moves: Start Every Game Strong

A strong Scrabble opening move plays a word of five to seven letters through the center star, scoring roughly 20 to 40 points, without handing your opponent an easy triple-word lane (NASPA; National Library of Medicine). The opening move is the one time you play with no board to build on, so it's all about scoring well while setting up a clean turn two. This guide covers what makes a good opener, the best opening words, how premium squares work, when to play a bingo, what to keep on your rack, and the mistakes to dodge. To find your best play from any rack, our free Scrabble word finder lists every valid word instantly.

What makes a strong Scrabble opening move?

A good opener balances three things at once: it scores well, it doesn't gift your opponent a huge follow-up, and it leaves you a workable rack. According to the opening-move strategy guide at AnagramSolver, the ideal opening play uses five to seven letters, scores around 20 to 40 points, and avoids creating easy triple-word-score opportunities for the other player.

That last part is the bit beginners miss. Because your word sits alone in the middle, a long word can stretch its end toward a triple word square, letting your opponent hook a single tile there for a monster score. A strong opener scores nicely while keeping its letters away from those danger spots. Score, safety, and setup, in that order.

What are the best opening words?

The classic opening words are the same balanced five-letter words that make good Wordle starters: CRANE, SLATE, STARE, and CRATE. They're easy to find in a typical rack, they score respectably through the doubled center, and they don't reach far enough to open a triple lane. According to The Word Finder, these everyday openers score in the region of 10 to 28 points once the center double is applied.

The real prizes are high-value words. If you can build a word around a J, X, Q, or Z and catch a premium square, your opening jumps. The Word Finder notes that a first-turn bingo like MUZJIKS can score over 100 points, and even a five-letter word like JOIST or LATEX that lands a high-value tile on a double letter square can bank around 40 points. You won't get those racks often, but knowing them means you'll grab the score when you do. Our list of high-scoring Scrabble words is worth studying for exactly these moments.

Opening word	Rough opening score
CRANE / SLATE / STARE	10 to 28 points
JOIST or LATEX on a double letter	Around 40 points
A seven-letter bingo	60 to 100+ points

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How do premium squares affect your first move?

The opening move has one guaranteed bonus: the center star is a double word score square, and the rules require the first word to cover it. So your opening word is always doubled, which is exactly why it's worth planning rather than playing the first thing you see.

Beyond the center, the double letter squares near the middle are your other lever. As HowStuffWorks explains, landing a high-value letter such as J, X, or Z on a double or triple letter square is where the big single-move scores come from. On the opening, position your word so a heavy tile catches one of those squares. A J on a double letter inside a five-letter word can add 20 points on its own before the word double is even counted. The triple word squares in the corners are too far to reach on move one, which is why openers stay central.

Should you always play a bingo?

If your opening rack forms a valid seven-letter word, play it. Using all seven tiles earns a 50-point bingo bonus on top of the word score, and on the opening move you also collect the center double. That combination is almost impossible to beat, so a first-turn bingo is close to an automatic play.

There's one rare caveat: if the only way to place your bingo opens a clean path to a triple word square that your opponent can obviously exploit, a cautious player might weigh a safer spot. But for the vast majority of games, the points from a first-turn bingo far outweigh the risk. Take the 50 and run. For more on squeezing points from every rack, see our guide on how to win at Scrabble.

What should you leave on your rack?

Scoring on turn one matters, but so does what you keep for turn two. After you play, you draw back up to seven tiles, so the letters you keep, your "leave," shape your next move. A balanced leave of common consonants and a vowel or two sets you up to keep scoring.

Hold onto your best tiles when you reasonably can. An S is worth saving because it hooks onto so many words for easy points, and a blank tile is the most valuable tile in the game since it can be any letter. Try not to burn either on the opening unless the score genuinely justifies it. The goal is an opening that scores well and leaves you a rack you're happy to look at next turn. Our Scrabble tips for beginners covers rack balance in more depth.

What opening mistakes should you avoid?

A few opening errors quietly cost games:

• Dumping all your vowels or all your consonants. The Word Finder warns that this wrecks your next rack, since your fresh draw is likely to be lopsided the other way.
• Reaching toward a triple word square. A long opener whose end sits one tile from a triple lets your opponent score huge with a single letter.
• Wasting an S or a blank. These are your most flexible tiles. Spending them on a small opening play is a false economy.
• Playing too small. The center double rewards a longer word. A tiny two or three-letter opener leaves easy points on the table.

Avoid those four and your openings will already beat most casual players. The opening move sets the tone for the whole game, so a little planning here pays off across every turn that follows.

What else do people ask?

What is the best opening move in Scrabble?

A strong opening plays a word of five to seven letters through the center star, scoring roughly 20 to 40 points, without opening an easy triple-word lane for your opponent. Good openers include CRANE, SLATE, STARE, and CRATE. If your rack forms a valid seven-letter word, play it for the 50-point bingo bonus.

Does the first word in Scrabble score double?

Yes. The center star is a double word score square, and the first word of the game must cover it, so your opening word is always doubled. That is why the opening move is worth planning: even a modest word gains from the built-in double, and a long word through the center can put real points on the board.

Should you always play a bingo on the opening move?

Almost always. A bingo uses all seven tiles for a 50-point bonus, and on the opening move it also gets the center double word score, so it is very hard to beat. The rare exception is if playing it opens a dangerous triple-word lane, but for most players a first-turn bingo is an instant play.

How do you use premium squares on the first move?

The opening word always covers the central double word square. To do more, position a high-value tile like J, X, or Z on a nearby double letter square. A five-letter word such as JOIST or LATEX placed to catch a double letter can score around 40 points on turn one, far more than a plain word.

What should you avoid on the opening move?

Avoid using all your vowels or all your consonants, which leaves a bad rack for turn two. Avoid placing a word so a high-value letter sits next to a triple word square your opponent can reach. And do not dump good tiles like S or blanks unless the score really justifies it, since they are worth saving.

Sources: AnagramSolver, "The Best First Words in Scrabble" (anagramsolver.io/blog/scrabble-opening-move-strategy). The Word Finder, "What's the Best First Move in Scrabble?" (thewordfinder.com). HowStuffWorks, "10 Scrabble Strategy Tips" (entertainment.howstuffworks.com). Scrabble is a trademark of Hasbro and Mattel.