Scrabble’s game is officially on fleek, blud.
The hugely popular board game has added nearly 3,000 words to its dictionary, with the new batch of phrases embracing the modern world and incorporating slang, gender identity and politics.
Fleek, blud and yowza all make the first updated list since 2015. Plus, you can now play Scrabble with bae (5 points), which will delight any wordie (10).
Cisgender, agender and misgender are also included, as is transphobia — showing how issues relating to gender identity have taken a larger role in discourse around the world over the past four years.
Commuters’ frustrations have been listened to, with manspreading — the act of a man spreading his legs across multiple seats — and shebagging — when a woman places her bag on the seat beside her — each earning 18 points.
Mansplaining has also been added. In case you’re confused, that’s when a man explains something in a condescending manner, and it will earn 13 points. Understand now?
The new additions join the existing 276,000 words in the Official Scrabble Words book, and reflect terms used in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa. The updated dictionary was released by Collins on Thursday, and forms the official basis for international Scrabble tournaments.
Many new phrases serve as a reminder of themes that have appeared in the news in recent years. Antivaxxer and postfact are added to the list, as is kompromat — a Russian term for compromising material held on someone else.
Remainer and omnishambles have entered common parlance in the UK during the Brexit process and have now been added to the dictionary, while anti-fascism group Antifa has also been recognized.
Upskirting, which was made illegal in the UK after a lengthy campaign, is included. So is burquini — the full-body swimming costume that made headlines after it was controversially banned by a French court in 2016.
Instagram, bingeable, overshare and sharenting all reflect modern lifestyles, while foodies can tuck into new additions like bao and sriracha.
But most importantly for serious Scrabble players, OK is now okay. The two-letter abbreviation has been excluded from the game’s officially dictionary for years, causing consternation among some players.
It was added to Merriam-Webster’s Scrabble dictionary for US players last year, and international players can now follow suit. Philip Nelkon, a four-time UK Scrabble Champion, said two-letter words are the “lifeblood” of the game.
Ew is also added, while ze — a gender-neutral pronoun — adds to the list of short words that could get players out of a bind.
“Not only is the list fascinating in itself, with many areas of contemporary life in evidence, but the inclusion of high-scoring words like ‘dox’ and ‘zen’ means Scrabble enthusiasts at every level can improve their game,” Helen Newstead, language content consultant at Collins, said in a statement.
Hench, preggo, and fatberg are included, while hackerazzo and equivocacy are game-changing additions — all score over 26 points. Qapik — the currency of Azerbaijan — could also help players cash in.
The previous batch of additions in 2015 included phrases like emoji, ridic, lolz and bezzy.
