- Set-up
- About 2 min
- Reading
- Lots
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Scrabble lovers who want a twist: you can rebuild words already on the board, not just add to them
Think twice if Anyone at the table is uncomfortable playing in English
How we rate it
Learning curve. The stacking rules take a round to sink in, and good play needs a decent vocabulary, but scoring is simpler than Scrabble's. It sits with Ticket to Ride and Codenames on our scale.
Luck & skill. The letters you draw matter, but vocabulary, spotting words you can rebuild and planning tall stacks decide most games.
Interaction. Everyone builds on one shared board, so you can rebuild a rival's word, take over their stack, or block a spot they wanted.
Set-up. Put the tiles in the bag, give each player a rack and seven tiles, and draw to see who starts.
Reading. It's an English word game: spelling and vocabulary are the whole game.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Is Upwords right for you?
Great if
- Scrabble lovers who want a twist: you can rebuild words already on the board, not just add to them
- Couples and families with children from 8 who enjoy spelling and vocabulary
- Quiet evenings for two to four, since the rotating board means nobody reads upside down
- Practising on your own: Spin Master says it can be played solo, trying to beat your best score
Skip it if
- Anyone at the table is uncomfortable playing in English
- You want a fast party game: like Scrabble, turns can be slow while people think
- You dislike the luck of drawing letter tiles from a bag
How Upwords plays
Set-up: put the 100 letter tiles in the bag and give each player a rack and seven tiles. Spin Master's board sits on a hidden lazy-Susan base, so on your turn you simply turn it to face you. The player who draws the letter closest to A goes first.
- Time to teach: about 10 minutes.
- Reading and language: An English word game: you need a good English vocabulary and spelling, and the box itself says knowledge of English is required. We found no Hindi or regional-language edition. Children of 8 can play against adults if you allow a dictionary or play in pairs.
Learn how to play Upwords from Spin Master · Spin Master Games · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Play
Place tiles in one line to make a word, or stack letters on a word already on the board to change it.
- 2Score
Flat words score 2 points a tile; stacked words score 1 point for every tile in the stacks.
- 3Refill
Draw back up to seven tiles; using all seven in one turn earns 20 bonus points.
- 4Win
When the tiles run out, lose 5 points per tile left on your rack; the highest score wins.
The full explanation: how a game of Upwords goes
A turn: the first word must be at least two letters long and cover one of the four centre squares. After that, every word must join letters already on the board, and all the tiles you play in a turn go in one straight line, across or down. You can place letters on empty squares, or stack a letter on top of one already on the board to change a word, as when 'dog' becomes 'log'. Stacks can be at most five tiles high, you can't stack a letter on the same letter, you may add only one tile to any stack per turn, and at least one letter of the old word must stay as it was. You can't make a plural just by adding an S, unless that S is also part of another word you play.
Scoring: a word lying flat scores 2 points per tile. Once any letter in a word is stacked, the word scores 1 point for every tile in it and underneath it, so tall stacks pay off. Using all seven tiles in one turn earns 20 bonus points, and the Qu tile adds 2 points in a flat word. Each word you make in a turn scores separately. Refill your rack to seven tiles after each turn, or pass and swap one tile if you're stuck.
The game ends when someone uses their last tile and the bag is empty, or when everyone passes in a row. Each player loses 5 points for every tile left on their rack, and the highest score wins. A tip: stacking one letter on a long word that's already tall can be worth more than a new word on empty squares, so watch for words you can rebuild. Playing alone, follow the same rules without swapping tiles and try to beat your own best score.
What's in the box
- 1Rotating game board
turns on a hidden lazy-Susan base - 100Letter tiles
made to stack up to five high - 4Tile racks
- 4Rubber feet
- 1Tile bag
- 1Instruction sheet
Box: 26.9 × 26.9 × 5.2 cm. Handy to know for gifting and travel.
From the listing facts, which match Spin Master's own contents list (1 game board, 100 letter tiles, 4 tile racks, 1 tile bag) plus the rubber feet and instruction sheet. Funskool's product page doesn't list the contents. Older Upwords sets may have an 8 x 8 board and 64 tiles.
Where to buy
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Upwords has lasted more than 40 years because of one idea: you can change words already on the board by stacking letters on them, so the board keeps shifting and no word is safe. Tabletop Gaming's history says the five-tile stacking limit and double points for flat words were added after early players built stacks so tall the game became wobbly, and that a 1995 relaunch gave it a new lease of life. It was reviewed in Games magazine in 1983 and in France's Jeux & Stratégie in 1985. TTPM's review of Spin Master's edition calls it a quick vocabulary builder that families who like word games will enjoy, and notes it can be played solo.
What people love
- Stacking letters to change words is a fresh twist for Scrabble players
- Simpler scoring than Scrabble: no letter values or bonus squares to track
- The rotating board means nobody reads upside down
- Builds vocabulary, and can be played solo for practice
Common complaints
- Needs confident English, so it's hard on players still learning the language
- The luck of the tile draw can leave you with awkward letters
Based on 5 reviews and discussions
- Review Tabletop Time Machine: Upwords (Tabletop Gaming, June 2021) · Tabletop Gaming (via PressReader)
- Review Upwords and Beat the Parents review (TTPM, 2022) · TTPM
- Reference Upwords (Wikipedia, read October 2026) · Wikipedia
- Reference Upwords Board Game: Rules for How to Play (Eric Mortensen, August 2025) · Geeky Hobbies
- Reference Elliot Rudell, inventor of Upwords, talks about the journey (Elliot Rudell, February 2022) · People of Play
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
More like Upwords
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Our picks if Upwords isn't quite right.
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| Compare the games.The details that make a difference. |
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Upwords
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ANOTHER WAY TO PLAY
Word Build
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Wordle: The Party Game
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Build words, then stack letters on top to change them | A different fit Funskool's two-player word game: add letters to a shared grid, score words and block your rival | A different fit The word game Upwords is most often compared with: build words that cross on the board, with bonus squares instead of stacking | A different fit Another English word game for the family, about guessing hidden five-letter words |
| Players | 2–4 | 2 | 2–4 | 2–4 |
| Best with | 2-4 | 2 | 2-3 | 3-4 |
| Play time | 30–60 min | 20–30 min | 50–60 min | 15–30 min |
| Age | 8+ | 6+ | 8+ | 14+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Medium | Easy |
| Indian edition | Available | Available | Imported | Imported |
| On this page | Explore Word Build | Explore Scrabble | Explore Wordle: The Party Game |
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Questions people ask about Upwords
How is Upwords different from Scrabble?
In Scrabble a letter stays put once it is played. In Upwords you can stack new letters on top of old ones to change a word, up to five tiles high, and taller stacks score more. Upwords has no bonus squares or letter values: flat words score 2 points a tile and stacked words 1 point for every tile in the stacks.
How do you score in Upwords?
A word with no stacked letters scores 2 points per tile. A word with any stacked letter scores 1 point for every tile in it, counting the tiles underneath. You get 20 bonus points for using all seven tiles in a turn, and you lose 5 points for each tile left on your rack at the end.
Can you play Upwords alone?
Yes. Spin Master says the game can be played solo: you follow the usual rules, without swapping tiles, and try to beat your own best score. It's good practice for children who are building their vocabulary.
Can you add an S to make a plural in Upwords?
Not on its own. Adding just an S to the end of a word to make it plural isn't allowed, unless that S is also part of another new word you form in the same turn.
Is Upwords made in India?
The Funskool box is. Funskool makes Spin Master's Upwords in India and its product page gives India as the country of origin; the Amazon.in listing names Funskool's factory near Ranipet in Tamil Nadu as the maker.
Game facts
- Designed by
- Elliot Rudell
- Publisher
- Spin Master (Spin Master Games); first published by Milton Bradley, later part of Hasbro
- In India
- Funskool (India) Ltd, Chennai, which makes and sells this Spin Master game in India
- First published
- 1982
- Players
- 2–4
- Barcode
- 778988263570
- Language
- Needs English – An English word game: you need a good English vocabulary and spelling, and the box itself says knowledge of English is required. We found no Hindi or regional-language edition. Children of 8 can play against adults if you allow a dictionary or play in pairs.
- Box size and weight
- 26.9 × 26.9 × 5.2 cm
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.
- Funskool - Upwords product page
- Spin Master - Upwords, Word Board Game
- Upwords - Wikipedia
- Tabletop Gaming - Tabletop Time Machine: Upwords (June 2021)
- Geeky Hobbies - Upwords Board Game: Rules for How to Play
- People of Play - Elliot Rudell, inventor of Upwords, talks about the journey (February 2022)
- Toycra - Spin Master Upwords Game (SKU 6066101)