Scrabble Traditionalists Fight Proposed Scoring System

The Takeaway

What’s the value of a letter? In a game like Wheel of Fortune vowels cost you money and consonants earn you points.
But in the game of Scrabble it’s nearly the opposite where the very common vowels hold small values, while the rarer letters are more sought after.
According to researcher Joshua Lewis, the old Scrabble scoring system no longer accurately reflects a letter’s worth. And while the addition of short words and regional words have resulted in a skewed point distribution, Scrabble traditionalists believe the proposed scoring system change would be catastrophic to the game.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Philip Nelkon, Scrabble’s U.K. representative, said: “It is not a game where fairness is paramount, it is a game of luck and changing the tile values wouldn’t achieve anything.”
John Chew is the co-president of the North American Scrabble  Association. Joshua Lewis is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Diego. He developed a system that would change the value of certain letters.

Kickstart The World’s fundraising drive!

The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.

Make a gift today to help us raise $67,000  by the end of the year and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer to our goal!