Words With Friends: How to Gain an Advantage

Discovering the Game

One of the first things I did when I purchased my iPad this summer, was check out the oodles of cool apps (both productive for work purposes & procrastination tools for anytime) that I could download. Words With Friends is a friend favorite and I decided to give it a go in July of 2011, so I would not miss out on any fun. I soon discovered that as a newcomer to the game, I was an absolutely inexperienced player… yet I was undeterred.

Doing My Homework…so to Speak

Being an extremely competitive person with my peers, I decided I needed to find a way to win more often. I began to converse with my opponents and ask questions about their strategies and general game play. It was pretty clear that it all came down to location. We can’t control what tiles we get, but we can control where we place them. Most were more than happy to explain a few game basics like:

• Utilizing the DL (Double Letter), DW (Double Word), TL (Triple Letter) and TW (Triple Word) places.
• Strategically placing higher scoring tiles (“J,” “Z,” “X” and “V”) on DL, DW, TL. TW places.
• Gaining higher scores by using existing tiles to complete or make new words (in some cases, depending on places, it is possible to build multiple words).
• Playing or swapping difficult tiles (“J,” “Z,” “X” and “V”) as soon as possible so that one isn’t stuck with them and unable to make the next move.
• Practice ‘word blocking’ or defensive strategies – Sometimes choosing to play a lower scoring word on premium places (DL, DW, TL. TW) in order to prevent your opponent from using those places for higher scoring words.
• Complete or Build upon the plays of your opponents by adding tiles to the beginning (“A,” “AB,” “AD” or etc.) or end of existing words (“S,” “ED, “Y” and etc.).

The above advice sent me in the right direction but I was still being obliterated by some players. Luckily I came across a few tools to further improve my game. I discovered word lists as well as an iOS Words with Friends cheat app. Full disclosure that I do not always use the tools in my game play and I never use the tools when playing with family.

So, Without Further Adieu: How to Gain a (Slightly Unfair) Advantage When Playing Words With Friends:

1. If you are using a cheat app (like Cheats & Words), be fair to your opponent & disclose that you are playing with a game aid. If it applies, explain you are new to the game. Not everybody will disclose this, but I recommend doing so. There is a lot of negativity towards cheaters in the Words with Friends community so be prepared for some backlash if you do not make a disclosure and get found out.
2. Consider using a cheat app only in situations where you are really stuck. Say where you have all consonants, only vowels or difficult letters. Or perhaps where you are left with only a few tiles left.
3. Avoid being obvious. Don’t play words that you can’t define or that are not in your vocabulary. Repeatedly using odd words are a giveaway that you have an unfair advantage. How many of us use the words “KOA,” “IOTAS” and “NAOI” in normal speech? Does anybody actually know what they mean? A better choice would be to use the word “EAT.” It isn’t the highest scoring play, but it is a natural choice and your opponent would never be the wiser that you were ‘cheating.’ This also applies to BINGO situations (where you can build a word using all your tiles). Don’t play the word if it is too obscure.
4. Try not to play too fast or too slow. Time delays can also be an indicator to your opponents that you are not using traditional and fair means to play the Words with Friends.
5. In your off time when you are not playing Words with Friends, take advantage of studying Word Lists. Memorize the multiple combinations for difficult letters as well as lists for 2 letter and 3 letter words. This will help you improve your vocabulary so that you can play by memory and not be considered a ‘cheater.’ If you are comparing Scrabble resources, keep in mind that there are some differences in the words that are allowed in each game.
6. Have fun when you play Words with Friends… even if you cheat or use a Words with Friends cheat app. Getting too serious or abusive with your opponents ruins the game. By taking the time to use the chat feature within Words With Friends, you can also distract your opponents with friendly or witty banter.

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