INTRODUCTION—
WHAT IS THIS BOOK?

A logophile (i.e., word lover) always wants new words to learn. Yet memorizing word lists can be monotonous and uninspiring. It is with this in mind that I have written the Word Nerd line of puzzle books.

Workbook #1 (WB1) provides quizzes that cover the bulk of the important words that players need to know in order to be competitive in the SCRABBLE ® Brand Crossword Game . In particular, it focuses on the highest probability 7- and 8-letter words as well as words with high point tiles. Additionally, it has a section on Hooks & Plurals as well as an extensive section on the new words added in March 2006.

Workbook #2 (WB2) complements WB1 by introducing readers to a much broader array of words. Rather than focusing primarily on “bingos” (except for a couple of quizzes on the most probable new ones), WB2 has large sections on similar words (e.g., STROUD & SHROUD), compound words (e.g., LUMPFISH and DINGHIES), fronts (e.g., T-INKLE & W-INKLE), backs (e.g., OCTAN-E, OCTAN-S, OCTAN-T), and plurals (e.g., STRANGES, SPAEINGS, and FRONTALS). It also has a sizable number of quizzes dedicated to learning longer words with heavy vowel content as well as a series of quizzes focused on learning the definitions of some of the more interesting words. Lastly, it contains a section that requires the reader to identify phonies, a very important part of the game of SCRABBLE ®. WB2’s quizzes are varied in content and style making for an enjoyable, challenging,
and rewarding experience.

Note: The dictionary used in WB1 and WB2 is the TWL2 (the second edition of the The Word List). It consists of all the words in The Official SCRABBLE Ò Players Dictionary (4 th edition) as well as a purged list of “offensive” and “derogatory” words.

NOTE: This is not an official book of the Hasbro Corporation or the National SCRABBLE ® Association. Its contents represent the labor of the author and any errors are entirely due to his humanness. SCRABBLE ® Brand Crossword Game is a registered trademark of Hasbro, Inc.