A Fun New Twist On An Old Favorite Game for Couples

Do you like Yahtzee? How about Scrabble? Well, if you do, here’s a game for couples to play that combines the two!

As a writer who loves words, I’ve always liked to play Scrabble. But sometimes I’d get bored waiting for the other players to take their turn.

Bob likes strategy games like Chess or Monopoly, but I prefer games that move more quickly. That’s one reason I’ve always liked to play Yahtzee. It doesn’t usually take players too long to roll the dice three times and fill in their scorecard.

So I was excited to find Yahtzee Words. I thought this was a new version of Yahtzee that came out in 2024. But I found out it’s actually a re-release of a spin-off of the game from the 1980s. It’s played just like the original Yahtzee game, except with letters instead of numbers.

Playing Yahtzee Words is simple: you just roll the dice and try to make words from the letters you get.

The game comes with seven dice, a cup to shake them in, and a pad of scorecards that can each be used for six games. Dice are numbered, so the letters have different values like in Scrabble. There is also a star on one of the dice that acts as a wild card and can be used for any letter.

The scorecard is divided into two sections like regular Yahtzee. On the top half, you try to make words that are from two to six letters. The bottom half of the scorecard has spaces for specific combinations of letters such as all consonants, all vowels, one word, two words, or three words. A “Yahtzee” is a seven letter word – and is surprisingly hard to get!

You need a little bit of luck to win this game, but there is also some strategy involved.

As in Scrabble, you try to make words that will give you the highest scores. At the same time, you try to calculate the odds of getting the letters you need in your three rolls. There is one “Chance” box where you can add the total of the letters and enter that score if you don’t roll what you’re trying for.

After you’ve filled in all the boxes on the scorecard, you add up your scores to see who wins. Like the regular Yahtzee game, if your score for the top half of the scorecard is at or over 45, you get a 35 point bonus. And if you have been lucky enough to get more than one, each additional “Yahtzee” is worth 100 extra points.

The first time we played the game, we felt like it was a lot of work trying to make words from the letters we rolled. It was also taking a long time for some people to finish their turn, which was annoying. But the more we played, the easier it became, and we ended up really enjoying it. This is a game we would play often when we need to turn off the TV and have a game night. (Additional scorecard pads are available in large print, so we should be able to play for years!)

Have you played Yahtzee Words? Tell us about your experience. Or tell us about a game you think we should try. We love to hear your recommendations!

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