Boggle rules: how to play the word dice game
Boggle rules explained: shake the letter dice, find words in connected letters before the timer ends and score longer words higher. Scoring table and tips.
- Type
- Board game
- First released
- 1972
- Designed by
- Allan Turoff
- Publisher
- Parker Brothers
Boggle is a fast word game played with lettered dice in a grid. Shake the covered tray, let the dice settle into a four-by-four grid, start the timer and race to find as many words as possible. Words are formed from letters that touch each other, including diagonally. When time runs out, players compare lists and cross out words that more than one player found, so original words matter most. Boggle was designed by Allan Turoff and published by Parker Brothers in 1972. It needs only a few minutes per round, works for any number of players who can each write a list and is a lively way to practise spelling under pressure.
Our verdict
Boggle is quick and energetic. Three minutes of silent concentration followed by reading lists aloud makes a nice rhythm, and finding a long word that nobody else saw is very satisfying. Because duplicate words are removed, players are rewarded for unusual words, which encourages vocabulary growth. Children can play with adults if the scoring is adjusted, for example by allowing children to keep duplicates. It is a good choice for classrooms and language practice.
What works
- Very fast rounds
- Any number of players with paper
- Rewards creative vocabulary
What does not
- Strong spellers dominate
- Checking disputed words can slow the game
How to play Boggle
Shake the dice in the covered grid, remove the cover and turn over the three-minute timer. Each player writes down every word they can find. A word must be at least three letters long and must be made by moving from each letter to a neighbouring letter, horizontally, vertically or diagonally. You may not use the same die twice in one word. Plural forms and different forms of a word count as separate words, but names and abbreviations are usually not allowed. When the timer ends, all players stop writing. Each player reads their list aloud. Any word that appears on two or more lists is crossed out for everyone. Remaining words score by length: three or four letters score one point, five letters two, six letters three, seven letters five and eight or more letters eleven. Play several rounds and add the scores.
Tips for new players
- Look for common endings such as -ING, -ED and -ER in the grid.
- Once you find a word, check for plural and longer forms of it.
- Scan the grid systematically from one corner instead of jumping around.
- Longer words score much more, so spend some time searching for one.
Good for
Boggle: common questions
How long is a round of Boggle?
A standard round lasts three minutes, measured with the included sand timer.
Can letters be connected diagonally in Boggle?
Yes. Letters can connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally, but each die can be used only once per word.
What is the shortest word allowed in Boggle?
In the standard game, words must have at least three letters.
Boggle belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
