Scrabble Tile Values and Letter Distribution
How many of each tile are in the bag, what each is worth and how to use that information.
Every Scrabble tile has a letter and a number. The number is what the letter is worth when you score a word, and it is roughly the reverse of how often the letter appears: common letters are worth one point, rare ones up to ten. Understanding this system makes it easier to plan racks, spot high-scoring plays and decide which tiles to keep.
This guide uses the standard English-language tile set, which is the one used in Australia. There are 100 tiles: 98 letters plus 2 blanks. The blanks score nothing but can stand in for any letter.
Letter values and how many tiles there are
| Letter | Points | Tiles in the set |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 9 |
| B | 3 | 2 |
| C | 3 | 2 |
| D | 2 | 4 |
| E | 1 | 12 |
| F | 4 | 2 |
| G | 2 | 3 |
| H | 4 | 2 |
| I | 1 | 9 |
| J | 8 | 1 |
| K | 5 | 1 |
| L | 1 | 4 |
| M | 3 | 2 |
| N | 1 | 6 |
| O | 1 | 8 |
| P | 3 | 2 |
| Q | 10 | 1 |
| R | 1 | 6 |
| S | 1 | 4 |
| T | 1 | 6 |
| U | 1 | 4 |
| V | 4 | 2 |
| W | 4 | 2 |
| X | 8 | 1 |
| Y | 4 | 2 |
| Z | 10 | 1 |
| Blank | 0 | 2 |
The tile values are the same as the ones Unscramble AU uses when it shows a score next to each word. The whole bag adds up to 187 points across its 100 tiles.
Grouped by value
| Points | Letters | Tiles in the set |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A E I L N O R S T U | 68 |
| 2 | D G | 7 |
| 3 | B C M P | 8 |
| 4 | F H V W Y | 10 |
| 5 | K | 1 |
| 8 | J X | 2 |
| 10 | Q Z | 2 |
| 0 | Blank | 2 |
Notice that 68 of the 98 lettered tiles are worth just one point. That is why big scores rarely come from tile values alone: they come from the board's premium squares and from the 50-point bonus for using all seven tiles.
The high-value tiles
- Q and Z (10 points each). Z is easier to play than Q, thanks to ZA, ZO and longer words. See our guide to Q words without a U.
- J and X (8 points each). Both fit into the two-letter words JA, JO, XI, XU, AX, EX and OX.
- K (5 points). A single tile that combines well with the vowels in KA, KI, KO and (in newer lists) OK.
- F, H, V, W and Y (4 points each). Not rare, but each is worth four times an ordinary tile.
Our two-letter word guide lists every short word that can carry these tiles onto a premium square.
How premium squares change a score
The standard 15×15 board has 225 squares, of which 61 are premium: 24 double letter, 12 triple letter, 17 double word and 8 triple word. Letter squares multiply one tile, and word squares multiply the whole word. If a word covers two word squares, the multipliers are applied one after the other.
Worked examples
- ZA with the Z on a double letter square: Z counts 20, A counts 1, so the play scores 21.
- QI with the Q on a triple letter square: Q counts 30, I counts 1, so 31.
- RETINAS across a triple word square: the tile values add up to 7, which triples to 21. It uses all seven tiles, so add the 50-point bonus for a total of 71. Seven cheap tiles beat a single 10-point tile.
Using the numbers to make decisions
Balance, not hoarding
Because there are so many one-point tiles, the letters that matter for scoring are the ones with high value or high flexibility. The letters S and the blanks are the most flexible tiles, and many players hold them for a bingo instead of spending them on a small score.
Count what is left
With the distribution above, you can work out which tiles remain unseen. If all four S tiles are on the board, nobody can make a plural hook, and a play that relied on one is no longer possible.
Play the letters, not just the points
A 12-point play that keeps S, E, R and a blank on your rack is often better than a 20-point play that uses them. Our bingo guide explains why.