Boggle

Boggle begins by randomizing a tray of 16 dice-like "letter cubes", normally by shaking. Each of the cubes has a different letter printed on each of its sides. The cubes settle into a 4×4 tray such that only the top letter of each cube is visible. After the cubes have settled into the grid, a 3-minute timer is started and all players simultaneously begin the main phase of play.

Each player constructs words from the letters of sequentially adjacent cubes. Adjacent includes the horizontally, vertically, and diagonally neighboring cubes. Words must be at least 3 letters long, may include singular and plural (or other derived forms) separately, but may not use the same letter cube more than once per word. The players record all words found by writing on their private sheets of paper. After 3 minutes have elapsed, all players must stop writing and the game enters the scoring phase.

Each player reads off his or her list of discovered words. If two or more players wrote the same word, it's discarded from all players' lists. Any player may challenge the validity of a word, in which case a previously nominated dictionary is used to verify or refute the word. For all words remaining after duplicates have been eliminated, points are awarded based on the length of the word. The winner is the player whose point total is highest. Any ties are typically broken by count of long words.

The National Scrabble Association maintains an Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD) that's suitable for Boggle. This dictionary focuses on including all variant forms of all words, up to eight letters in length. For words with multiple meanings, only a single meaning is given to support the validity of the word. The OSPD is now in its fourth edition (OSPD4), which is widely available in book stores. Since the third edition, the OSPD has excluded words that are racially offensive.

Here are some Boggle versions you can pick up today:

Boggle Game: link letters up, down, sideways, and diagonally to form common and not-so-common words. Roll the 16-lettered cubes, line them up in a 4 x 4 grid, and start the timer. Whoever finds and writes down the must un-duplicated words in 3 minutes, wins. Longer, more unusual words earn more points. For 2 or more players.

Boggle Jr. Game: see the picture and make the word with letters on the 8 big cubes. Specially designed to help preschoolers learn their ABC's, this matching game teaches spelling, memory, and sorting and grouping. With 2 skill levels, children will stay interested and challenged. For 1 or more players.

Boggle Game - Travel Folio Edition: you know how it's done. In three minutes, you need to find as many words as you possibly can. But, until now, this was a game for home only. After all, what if you lost a precious letter cube? Well, times have changed. This sturdy vinyl carrying case makes it easy for you to Boggle your mind anytime, any place. Inside the zipper case are neat compartments for all your Boggle accessories: the 16 letter cubes, the grid and dome, four pads of paper and pencils… Even better, they've built an electronic timer right in and included the batteries for it! They've even engineered the game pieces to be more quiet. For 2 or more players.

Electronic Hand-Held Boggle Game: the word game that stands out for sweet simplicity just went high tech! The terrific find-the-words formula is the same, but now you're playing a version that goes wherever you do—without the easy-to-lose letter cubes. An electronic dictionary stores thousands of words, so you can play again and again. Batteries included. For 1 or 2 players.

Boggle To Go: a full-size travel version of the head-to-head word search game that's ready to hit the road! Begin by turning over the timer and start hunting for words. How many words can you make by joining letters up, down, sideways, and diagonally? When time's up, count up your words and your points. Then play again! This travel version of Boggle features a locking lid and a storage compartment in the base that holds the timer, pencils, note pad and instructions.

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