SOWPODS vs TWL — Which Dictionary Should You Use?
If you've ever played a word in Scrabble only to have someone say "that's not valid," the dictionary you're using might be the problem. English-language Scrabble is split between two official word lists — SOWPODS and TWL — and the one you choose determines which words are legal, how many options you have, and even how you should study. Here's everything you need to know to pick the right dictionary for your game.
The Two Official Dictionaries at a Glance
English-language competitive Scrabble operates under two distinct word authorities, each governing different regions of the world.
~280,000
SOWPODS Words
~190,000
TWL Words
~90,000
Difference
120+
Countries Use SOWPODS
📘 SOWPODS / CSW
Collins Scrabble Words. Merged from OSW (Official Scrabble Words, UK) + OSPD (Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, US). Used by WESPA in all international tournaments. ~280,000 valid entries.
📗 TWL / NWL
Tournament Word List (also called NASPA Word List or NWL). Curated by NASPA for North American play. ~190,000 valid entries. Based on Merriam-Webster sources.
The name "SOWPODS" is itself an anagram — it combines OSW and OSPD, the two source dictionaries that were merged in 1991 to create a single international word list. Today the official name is Collins Scrabble Words (CSW), but most players still call it SOWPODS. TWL is maintained by the North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) and is sometimes called TWL06 (for the 2006 edition) or NWL (NASPA Word List) for newer editions.
Where Each Dictionary Is Used
The geographic split is straightforward but important for anyone who plays competitively or online.
✓ SOWPODS / CSW Territories
United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Nigeria, Kenya, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and all other WESPA-affiliated nations. Used at the World Scrabble Championship and all WESPA-sanctioned events.
✓ TWL / NWL Territories
United States, Canada, Israel, and Thailand. Governed by NASPA (North American Scrabble Players Association). Used at the National Scrabble Championship and all NASPA-rated club and tournament games.
💡 Key Insight
Every word in TWL is also valid in SOWPODS — but not the other way around. SOWPODS is a superset that contains all TWL words plus roughly 90,000 additional entries.
The Key Differences That Matter
Beyond raw word count, the two dictionaries differ in philosophy, update cycles, and the types of words they include.
🧩 Core Differences
Word count: SOWPODS has ~90,000 more words than TWL. This means SOWPODS players have significantly more options on every turn.
Sources: SOWPODS draws from British, Australian, South African, and Indian English alongside American sources. TWL relies primarily on Merriam-Webster dictionaries.
Two-letter words: SOWPODS allows ~127 two-letter words versus ~107 in TWL. The extra 20 words (like CH, GU, PO, OO, ZO) open up many more parallel play opportunities.
Update cycle: CSW is updated by Collins roughly every 4 years. NWL/TWL updates are managed by NASPA's dictionary committee on a similar cycle.
Offensive words: Both dictionaries removed hundreds of slurs in 2020, but the specific words removed differ slightly between the two lists.
Words Valid in SOWPODS but Not TWL
The extra ~90,000 words in SOWPODS come from regional English variants that Merriam-Webster doesn't cover. Here are some notable examples that international players can use but North American players cannot:
Beyond two-letter words, longer SOWPODS-only entries include words like REWAX (to wax again), DOILT (a small Dutch coin), SPALD (a chip or fragment, Scottish), GAPO (a type of flooded forest), and KEBAR (a Hebrew month variant). These come from Commonwealth English, Scottish, South African, and Indian English sources that the American dictionary doesn't recognise.
💡 Historical Note
QI (Chinese life force energy) was originally accepted in SOWPODS years before TWL added it. Today both dictionaries include QI, but it remains a perfect example of how SOWPODS often leads the way on accepting internationally-used English words.
How Online Platforms Handle It
Most online Scrabble platforms give you a choice, and some default to one dictionary based on your region.
Words With Friends: Uses its own proprietary dictionary (Enable) that's different from both SOWPODS and TWL. Some words valid in both official dictionaries aren't accepted in WWF, and vice versa.
Internet Scrabble Club (ISC): Lets you choose SOWPODS or TWL before each game. Rated games track your rating separately for each dictionary.
Woogles.io: The popular free platform supports both CSW and NWL. You select your dictionary when creating or joining a game.
Our Word Finder: ScrabbleWordsFinder.com supports both SOWPODS and TWL dictionaries. Results show which dictionary validates each word, so you always know if a word is legal in your game.
Which Dictionary Should You Study?
The answer depends on where and how you play. Here's a decision framework:
✓ Study TWL If...
You play in NASPA tournaments (US/Canada), your local club uses TWL, or you want a smaller list to memorise first. TWL is the foundation — master it, then expand to SOWPODS later.
✓ Study SOWPODS If...
You play in WESPA events, live outside North America, play internationally online, or want maximum flexibility. Knowing SOWPODS means you can compete anywhere in the world.
✗ Common Mistake
Studying SOWPODS when you only play TWL tournaments. You'll memorise thousands of words you can never use in competition, and you'll accidentally play invalid words that get challenged off.
✓ Smart Approach
Start with TWL (smaller, foundational). Once you're solid, learn the SOWPODS-only additions as a separate layer. Many study tools flag which words are TWL-only vs SOWPODS-only.
For casual home games where nobody is keeping official records, SOWPODS is the more generous choice — it accepts more words, which means fewer arguments and more creative plays. Just make sure everyone at the table agrees on the same dictionary before the game starts.
Tournament Implications
The dictionary choice fundamentally changes competitive strategy. SOWPODS players have more tools available, which creates a faster, more open game with higher average scores.
~127
2-Letter Words (CSW)
~107
2-Letter Words (TWL)
20+
Extra Parallel Plays
At the World Scrabble Championship (WESPA), players from TWL-native countries must learn the full CSW list to compete. This puts North American players at a study disadvantage — they need to learn 90,000 additional words that they never use in domestic play. Conversely, international players transitioning to NASPA events have an easier time because they only need to unlearn words (know which of their SOWPODS vocabulary isn't valid in TWL).
The challenge system also differs. In NASPA play, a challenged word that's invalid costs the challenger nothing (the word is removed). In some WESPA formats, challenges carry penalties if the challenged word turns out to be valid, which discourages frivolous challenges and rewards players who have deeper dictionary knowledge.
Our Word Finder Supports Both
When you use our word finder tool, you get results validated against both SOWPODS and TWL. This means you can always see which words are universally valid and which are SOWPODS-only — useful whether you're preparing for a local club night or an international championship.
💡 How Our Tool Helps
Enter your tiles and get instant results from both dictionaries simultaneously. Every result shows its score, and the tool loads both SOWPODS and TWL data so you can filter by the dictionary that matches your game.
The solver is completely free, works in realtime as you type, and requires no signup. Whether you're checking a word for casual play or studying for your next tournament, you'll always know exactly which dictionary accepts it.
🔤 Check any word against SOWPODS and TWL — free, instant, no signup
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