Generic House Rules

Dictionary variants
These are variants in which the game is altered by altering the dictionary of words allowed.

Category Dictionary
This is a family of games in which you can play words belonging to a category that aren't allowed in regular Scrabble. This can be used to handicap a game between players of different skill, for instance Pokémon Scrabble for a parent/child game.

Variants:
 * For a real challenge, only words in a given category are allowed. It is best to pick a large and varied category so that the game doesn't become too slow paced with frequent exchanges.
 * Another variant is to give bonus points for words in the category; naturally this only applies to point-scoring games such as Scrabble, and the Scoring variant of Take Two.

Google Dictionary
An interesting variation on this is Google Scrabble. In this, any word challenges are adjudicated by typing the word into the Google search engine, and if it returns over a given number of hits, the word is ruled valid.

Open Dictionary
Any player can refer to the dictionary at any time. This is most used in speed games such as Take Two, as the speed limits the usefulness of the dictionary.

Selected Dictionary
While tournament and club games use the Official List books, some players are unhappy with what is perceived as a commercialization of the original idea and prefer to use a specified dictionary, such as the full Oxford English Dictionary (20 volumes) as the source of acceptability.

Penalty Scrabble
The reverse of Reward Scrabble. A more generic form of Strip Scrabble. Penalties can be drinking, clothing removal, household chores, etc. Penalties can be assessed at the end of each game to the loser, at the end of each round (based on the highest/lowest score for that round), or based on the score of each individual play, with penalties for scores less than X. Note that the difference between a penalty and reward is both subjective and a function of who it is assigned to.

Reward Scrabble
The reverse of Penalty Scrabble. A more generic form of Strip Scrabble. Rewards can be household chores assignment (to others), money, etc. Rewards can be assessed at the end of each game to the winner, at the end of each round (based on the highest/lowest score for that round), or based on the score of each individual play, with rewards for scores greater than X. Note that the difference between a reward and penalty is both subjective and a function of who it is assigned to.

Strip Scrabble
Similar to regular Scrabble but clothes are removed during play. If players begin with not too many clothing articles and have the patience/stamina for multiple games (perhaps combined with one of the Speed Scrabble variants listed on this page), then an article of clothing is removed by the loser of each game at the end of each game. Alternative versions leading to quicker nudity involves taking off an article by the lowest scorer of each round, or the low scorer taking off an article each time a play worth less than X points is played, or designating someone else to take off an article each time a play worth more than Y points is played.

Double Tiles
Double Tiles (eg. Double Scrabble) is played with normal rules and equipment, but with double the number of tiles (by purchasing a second game set). This becomes much more difficult, and can result in the board becoming almost solid with tiles.

Ecological Blanks
So called because in it the blank tiles are recycled. If a blank tile is played to represent a particular letter, a player before his turn can pick up the blank and replace it by the letter that it represents. E.g. if on the board is LO*D, stated to represent LOAD, a player who has an A can pick up the blank and replace it by his A. But he cannot replace the blank by another letter to produce e.g. LOUD or LORD.

Speed
Speed is simply the regular rules played with a considerably shorter clock limit (e.g. 5 minutes), than normal tournament Scrabble.

Strategy
Strategy is a two-player variation. Both players can see their opponent's rack. This allows players to develop more situational strategies based on their opponent's rack.

Team Speed Scrabble
Team Speed Scrabble is when teams of 2, 3, or 4 race to play legal Scrabble words as quickly as possible. Scoring does not matter; all that matters is how quickly words are played. This can be a co-operative game where all players are simply trying to complete the game as fast as possible.

Three Letter Word Required
At least one of the words played each turn must involve more than 2 letters.

Toroidal Scrabble
Also known as "Scrabble on the Torus," this version can be combined with nearly any other variant. The premise is that the board is not two dimensional but is toroidal (shaped like a donut), such that the top and bottom connect, as do the two sides.