SOWPODS vs TWL: Key Differences Between Australian & US Scrabble Dictionaries

Why generic American word solvers reject valid Australian Scrabble plays, and what you need to know about international tournament rules.

By the Unscramble AU Editorial Team · Sydney, NSW

1. At a Glance: SOWPODS vs TWL Comparison

Feature	SOWPODS (Collins Scrabble Words)	TWL (Tournament Word List)
Primary Regions	Australia, UK, NZ, South Africa, Asia, World Championships	United States, Canada, Thailand
Total Word Count	267,751 valid words	~192,000 valid words
2-Letter Words	124 words (includes CH, EE, EI, FY, GI, IO, KY, MM, NY, OB, OU, ST, UG, ZE)	107 words
Spelling Standard	Australian & British English + American variants	Strictly American English (Merriam-Webster derived)

2. Why SOWPODS Contains ~75,000 More Words Than TWL

SOWPODS is an anagram derived from the original word lists: SABR0, OSPD, WPC, POSD, OSD, Dictionary, Scrabble. Today it is published officially as Collins Scrabble Words (CSW).

Because SOWPODS merges official British/Commonwealth lexicons with international terms, it accepts both Australian spellings (e.g., COLOUR, ORGANISE, CENTRE) and American variants (e.g., COLOR, ORGANIZE, CENTER). In contrast, TWL strictly rejects Commonwealth spellings like COLOUR!

3. Examples of Valid Australian Words Rejected by US Solvers

If you use a generic American word solver while playing in Australia, it will incorrectly tell you the following valid plays are "invalid":

• CH, EE, FY, GI, IO, KY, MM, NY, OU, ST, UG (Valid 2-letter SOWPODS words)
• COLOUR, FLAVOUR, HONOUR (Valid Commonwealth spellings)
• ORGANISE, REALISE, ANALYSE (Valid Australian -ise verbs)
• ALUMINIUM (Valid Australian 9-letter spelling)