How to Play Crossplay
A 15×15 board, 7 tiles on your rack, and one rule that catches everyone out: every word your tiles form has to be valid, not just the one you were aiming for.
Everyone draws 7 tiles
Tiles come from a bag of 104, including 2 blanks. After every turn you draw back up to 7 until the bag is empty.
The first word covers the centre square
The opening play must run through the middle of the board, and it must be at least two letters. That square also acts as a double word square, so the first play is always worth at least twice its face value.
Every later word must touch what is already there
New tiles go in a single row or a single column with no gaps, and the play must connect to at least one tile already on the board — either by reading through it or by sitting next to it.
Every word formed has to be valid
Not just the word you meant to play. If your tiles sit alongside existing ones, they form short words running the other way, and every one of those must be a real word too.
Score the main word, then every cross-word
Add up the tiles, apply letter premiums to new tiles only, then multiply by any word premiums a new tile covers. Do the same for each cross-word and add them all together.
Using all 7 tiles adds 40
A sweep is the biggest single swing available. The 40 points are added after all multipliers.
The game ends when someone plays out
Once the bag is empty and a player uses their last tile, the game ends. Tiles left on the other racks are deducted from their scores, which is why going out first matters more than it looks.
The rule beginners break most
You place four tiles downwards, forming a perfectly good word. But two of those tiles also sit next to letters already on the board, forming two-letter words sideways. If either of those is not a word, the whole play is illegal — even though your word was fine.
This is why the two-letter list matters so much: it is simultaneously the thing that makes plays illegal and the thing that makes them score three times over.
What a good turn looks like
- Scores 20 or more in the early game, 25 or more once the board opens up.
- Leaves you a rack of four consonants and three vowels with no duplicates.
- Does not open a clean lane to a triple word square while you are ahead.
If you want to know how your turns actually measure up, put a real position into the coach — it will tell you the score of your move, the best move available, and the gap between them.
Learn the details
- Scoring RulesHow a play is scored, worked through step by step.
- Board LayoutEvery premium square on the 15x15 grid.
- Tile ValuesWhat every letter is worth, sortable.
- Strategy GuideTen ideas that add points to every game.
- Two-Letter WordsThe list that wins the most points per tile.
- Crossplay SolverEnter your board and rack, get every legal move ranked by score.
Common questions
Can I pass or swap tiles?
Yes. Exchanging tiles costs you the turn but not your position, and it is usually right when your rack is genuinely stuck — five vowels, or a Q with no way to play it. Sitting on a dead rack for three turns costs more than one exchange.
What does a blank do?
It can stand in for any letter, but it scores zero for the rest of the game. Once played, the letter it represents is fixed.
Can I play a word backwards?
No. Words read left to right or top to bottom only.
Do I have to use tiles already on the board?
You have to connect to them, but you do not have to read through them. Playing alongside an existing word is legal — and often scores more, because it forms several short words at once.