Upwords Rules

What's in the Box?

• Upwords board (square grid with raised edges)
• 100 letter tiles (for stacking)
• Tile racks (1 per player)
• Tile bag
• Instructions

Setting Up

1. Lay out the board and give each player a rack.
2. Place all tiles in the bag and mix them well.
3. Each player draws 7 tiles and puts them on their rack.
4. Youngest player (or whoever can spell "STACK" fastest) goes first.

How to Play

1. On your turn, make a word horizontally or vertically. The first word must cover the centre square.
2. Subsequent words must connect to tiles already on the board (just like Scrabble).
3. You can place tiles on top of existing letters to change words, as long as you use at least one tile and form valid words in all directions.
4. Stacking rules: No stack may be higher than 5 tiles. You can only change the top letter of a stack.
5. Score your word (see below), then draw new tiles to refill your rack to 7.
6. If you can't play, you may swap tiles (and skip your turn).
7. Play passes clockwise. Continue until all tiles are used or no one can play.

Scoring & Winning

• Score 2 points for every letter tile in your word (including stacked tiles).
• Bonus: Score 2 extra points for every tile you stack on top of another letter.
• If you use all 7 tiles in one turn, score a 20-point bonus!
• When the game ends, subtract any tiles left on your rack from your score.
• The player with the highest score wins!

Classic Variations (Optional, for Extra Fun)

• Speed Upwords: Use a timer for each turn (1 minute) to keep play moving fast.
• Theme Rounds: Only play words in a chosen theme (animals, food, etc.) for a round.
• Stack Attack: Earn extra points for stacking on three or more tiles at once!

Quick Reference

• Players: 2–4
• Age: 8 and up
• Average play time: 40–60 minutes