# What words should be added to the official Scrabble Dictionary? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395 "2010-02-25T15:31:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/21 "2010-02-26T00:13:22Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Except nobody uses “zen” for “dozen.” At least not that I know of. “Za” for pizza is common enough, though I suppose it depends on the company you keep. Hey, it’s possible that I know maybe a zen people who use that term. Never heard of za, though…and the restaurant would be disqualified as a proper noun. Za would be a good abbreviation for “zebra” except no one ever needs a quick hipster way to say zebra. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/22 "2010-02-26T01:07:06Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Never heard of za, though…and the restaurant would be disqualified as a proper noun. Za would be a good abbreviation for “zebra” except no one ever needs a quick hipster way to say zebra. The restaurant was presented as an example of how many people would recognize a common term for pizza and so it would make a good name for a restaurant. That name was chosen because people would immediately recognize the term and understand that it served pizza. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/23 "2010-02-26T01:12:02Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Hey, it’s possible that I know maybe a zen people who use that term. > > Never heard of za, though…and the restaurant would be disqualified as a proper noun. Za would be a good abbreviation for “zebra” except no one ever needs a quick hipster way to say zebra. [“Za” for “pizza”](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/za) apparently dates back to 1965-1970, according to [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), if anyone’s curious. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/24 "2010-02-26T02:40:33Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > And I was happy when they added “za” (which we’ve been using, in a faux-hipster sort of way, for 40 years or so) and the quintessential Philly greeting, “yo.” > > The absence that annoys me most often – aside from “zen,” of course, which is in the process of de-properifying, I hope – is “quo.” “Status” is an English word, so “quo” should be too, right? Latin words that do not stand on their own in English (i.e., excepting words that appear only as parts of a phrase like “status quo”) generally don’t make it. “Jew” in fact in the official Scrabble word list that the national federation uses (“word list” rather than “dictionary”, apparently, because it does not give definitions) and which is sold only by the federation for use in official federation events. A lot of tournament players were upset when the OSPD was expurgated so the Word List was a sort of compromise. I had never heard of “za” before it was added. I live in NYC and was pretty young when it was hip to be a hipster. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/25 "2010-02-26T04:28:38Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Jew is another nice one that seems like it “should” be in the dictionary…though I guess it fails for the same reason as Zen. No. “jew” was one of the words that resulted in a bunch of words being removed from the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary because some [del]shithead[/del] (sorry, banned word) sensitive people deemed them offensive. [Here](http://home.teleport.com/~stevena/scrabble/expurg.html) is the complete list. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/26 "2010-02-26T05:57:40Z")
The dirty words like JEW and KIKE and many others are used at tournament level play, except for grade school tournaments and when a game is being filmed for broadcast on TV. The latter actually caused an [interesting situation](http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2004-08-06-scrabble_x.htm) in the National Championship a few years ago. There are actually two different lexicons that are used for tournament-level English language Scrabble. The one that is used in the US, Canada and a few other places is called [OWL2](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tournament_Word_List) (Official Word List), but in most of the rest of the World, and in all major international English language Scrabble tournaments, the lexicon used is called [SOWPODS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOWPODS) aka Collins. The bowdlerized version of OWL2 with the bad words removed is called OSPD4 (Official Scrabble Players Dictionary). Only kiddies and the easily offended use OSPD4. All the lexicons are revised about once or twice per decade. OWL2/OSPD4 most recently in 2006, so a new edition will probably come out in a few years or so. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/27 "2010-02-26T06:00:08Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Utopia, (with a capital U) is an actual place and is not allowed. However, utopia (with a lower-case U) has grown in meaning enough to be thought of as a generic perfect place. Oz is just a place. It doesn’t have any derived meaning. UTOPIAN, however, is in the lexicon. And it has an acceptable anagram too: OPUNTIA ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/28 "2010-02-26T06:06:08Z")
Prix, mojito, gi, and I second the inclusion of quo. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/29 "2010-02-26T14:16:30Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > Latin words that do not stand on their own in English (i.e., excepting words that appear only as parts of a phrase like “status quo”) generally don’t make it. Yeah, I know, I was making a little joke – or attempting to, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/30 "2010-02-26T16:29:27Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > Prix, mojito, gi, and I second the inclusion of quo. I’m not sure I like “prix” (is that used normally in English? I can’t even find it on [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com)). The rest are good, especially “gi,” but I only suport “quo” as another form of “quoth” rather than a part of a Latin phrase. It’s just not a word on its own in English. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/31 "2010-02-26T18:04:15Z")
I’m sorry - I don’t have my copy of the Scrabble Dictionary with me here - is ‘qua’ in there? It gets used on its own in English. I’m just assuming quid and pro would be in there already, even if they were there under different meanings than in quid pro quo. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/32 "2010-02-26T18:08:35Z")
“kwyjibo” ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/33 "2010-02-26T18:13:36Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I’m sorry - I don’t have my copy of the Scrabble Dictionary with me here - is ‘qua’ in there? Yes. > [@](#): > > I’m just assuming quid and pro would be in there already, even if they were there under different meanings than in quid pro quo. “Quid” and “pro” are in there. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/34 "2010-02-26T18:35:42Z")
> [@Cyberhwk](#): > > Prix, mojito, gi, and I second the inclusion of quo. Oh yeah - \*gi \*- that’s a good one. And \*gis \*(if you have more than one karate outfit). ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/35 "2010-02-26T22:07:11Z")
> [@bup](#): > > [Words that are spelled with a capital letter cannot be used](http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cache:2aAW3VIsNvgJ:www.scrabblepages.com/scrabble/rules/+scrabble+rules&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a). My point was that just because a word is spelled with a capital letter doesn’t mean it can’t be spelled WITHOUT a capital letter, even if you’re not familiar with the context of the non-proper noun form. I gave specific examples contrasting DANISH vs. ITALIAN and as well as DELFT and CHINA. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/36 "2010-02-26T22:22:56Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Yes. > “Quid” and “pro” are in there. But neither are in there because of the Latin phrase “quid pro quo”. “Quid” is slang for “pound” (British currency) and “pro” of course is commonly used for “professional”. Foreign words are not allowed in Scrabble but loan words are: “qua” meaning “in place of”, “re” meaning “in regards to” and “res” meaning “the thing in question” are all orginally Latin words but used in Anglo-American Legalese so often that they are considered loan words. However foreign words appearing only as part of phrases are not, and nobody says “quo” without “quid pro quo” or “quo vadis” or something. The rule against contractions and acronyms is kind of spottily applied IMHO. After a certain point what was originally a contraction or acronym is thought of as a word unto itself, the judgment call however is very open to question. For example, I was annoyed when the AI played JATO against me a few weeks ago, which I looked up in the Scrabble dictionary and found it described as “Jet Assisted Take Off”. Really? That’s a “commonly used” acronym that’s now a noun unto itself the way SNAFU is? :dubious: I don’t think OK should be allowed as it’s an acronym that in its word form OKAY is already in the dictionary. And why is TERABYTE and TERAFLOP in there but not PETABYTE or PETAFLOP? They’re behind the times, they are! ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/37 "2010-02-26T22:51:08Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > and “pro” of course is commonly used for “professional”. An abbreviation of “professional” maybe (yes, I know there are other meanings of “pro”)? There is one Scrabble rule that puzzles me: > [@](#): > > Types of words which cannot be used are abbreviations and yet we have words like doc and guv and several more I cannot think of right now but I know I keep not playing words because they are abbreviations, only to find them in OSPD. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/38 "2010-02-26T23:02:06Z")
There’s a difference between an abbreviation, which usually has a period (like _Dr._), and a shortened form of a word, which doesn’t (like _doc_). ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/39 "2010-02-26T23:26:16Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > There’s a difference between an abbreviation, which usually has a period (like _Dr._) Not in the UK it doesn’t, but I take your general point. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395/40 "2010-02-26T23:43:29Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > But neither are in there because of the Latin phrase “quid pro quo”. Never said it was. I was responding to someone who said this: “I’m just assuming quid and pro would be in there already\*\*, even if they were there under different meanings than in quid pro quo\*\*.” The bolding is, of course, mine. > [@](#): > > Foreign words are not allowed in Scrabble but loan words are: “qua” meaning “in place of”, “re” meaning “in regards to” and “res” meaning “the thing in question” are all orginally Latin words but used in Anglo-American Legalese so often that they are considered loan words. However foreign words appearing only as part of phrases are not, and nobody says “quo” without “quid pro quo” or “quo vadis” or something. Sure, foreign words are allowed, though not as part of phrases such as “quid pro quo” and the like. Foreign words alone, if sufficiently incorporated into the English vernacular, count. This was my reasoning for why “zen” should be included, because even if it is officially capital “Zen,” I contend in actual language, it is not necessarily a proper noun. Someone made this argument for me earlier, so I didn’t bother. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-words-should-be-added-to-the-official-scrabble-dictionary/530395.md?page=3)