If there was ever a board game that makes me question the logic of the world while simultaneously being somewhat educational at the same time, it would have to be Scrabble.
The premise is simple enough: you make words, you get points, and the more complex the word the more points you get. And while this is not the worst way to build on your vocabulary, I can’t help but question the logic of the English language when “words” like Za and Jeux are some considered to be legal and playable. I mean, what the hell is a goddamn Za?
Anyway, this is all a preamble to my point, which is Merriam-Webster has released the sixth edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary and long-time favourite words like OK and ew are finally deemed playable.
Beyond the addition of those aforementioned two-letter favourites, the new dictionary also adds a number of new (and obscure) sugary sweet point scorers and vowel devourers, such as qapik (it’s a currency unit in Azerbaijan) and bizjet (it’s a small business plane, geddit?).
Other words added to the list include yowza, zen, aquafaba, beatdown, zomboid, twerk, sheeple, wayback, bokeh, botnet, emoji, facepalm, frowny, hivemind, puggle and nubber.
Good grief, if sheeple, twerk, and frowny are considered legal, then how in the world is Za or Jo considered playable words?
If you’re wondering why some of those words sound like texting slang or buzzwords from a tween’s vocabulary, that’s because the rise of social media and texting has meant that the dictionary has had to adapt with the times.
According to lexicographer Peter Sokolowski, editor at large at Merriam-Webster:
Traditionally, they were not in the dictionary but because so much of our communication is texting and social media that is written language, we are finding more transcribed speech and getting a new group of spellings for the dictionary.
With the fast rate at which we’re making up new words and abbreviations, I guess it wouldn’t take long before extreme shorthands like “LOL” and “IDKWTD” become legal in Scrabble.
On the other hand I’m glad beatdown is a now a legal word and I plan on issuing out as many of those as possible to all incoming challengers.