Three word games, WordARound, Bubble Talk, and Junior Scrabble, are always top choices for my kids for family game time. (Although I think my husband could play Bubble Talk by himself just because he thinks it’s so funny.) Let me tell you about them.
1. WordARound
WordARound is a super fun word game for kids. The cards have three rings, black, red, and blue, with words written around each ring. To play, start by looking at the black ring. Whoever sees the word first, wins that card. That player will flip the card over to his or her winning pile. Whatever color is on the back of the card (black, red, or blue) will be the color ring to look at next and find the word on that color ring.
Sometimes we don’t play by the rules… and just say the first word we see on any of the rings. (Which is possibly more fun and easier for younger kids.)
The person with the most cards wins the game.
WordARound is fast, fun, and great for thinking and reading skills!
2. Bubble Talk
I think we’ve owned BubbleTalk for about 5 years, and it’s still one of our most favorite word games.
If you have non-readers, pair them with a reader who can help them read the captions so they can play, too.
Every player but one who is the judge for the round gets 7 cards. The judge picks a funny picture. Each player chooses the funniest caption from his or her cards.
The judge picks the winner – and that winner keeps the funny card. Take turns being the judge.
Which caption would you pick? (Aren’t these funny?)
What about these captions? I’m thinking “Staring at me won’t make me go away.”
3. Junior Scrabble
Junior Scrabble isn’t as addicting as the other two word games for kids but it’s a good game to prepare kids for regular Scrabble. (Which is way fun and great for kids!)
We used Junior Scrabble to show our kids how to make words using their letter titles going across and down the Scrabble board.
It takes some practice to get the hang of combining words in other words like a crossword puzzle or word search.
Then when your kids are ready, introduce them to grown-up Scrabble. I love Scrabble for kids because you get word practice, strategy, and math practice when playing.
You Might Also Like:
Picture Books That Celebrate Words
Oddly Obvious Word Game for Kids (That We Love)
Sight Word Games
Storytelling Games for Kids
Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She’s a mother, teacher, author, and freelance writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Brightly for Penguin Random House, USA Today Health, Colorado Parent, and Parenting.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Damaged Box
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2023
The box was damaged when received.Cannot send to friends for Xmas gift.:(
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 31, 2023
This is a simple word game that is also challenging for older kids. The object of the game is to be the first person to guess what the word is inside the ring. I got this game to use at our STREAM night to play in our reading booth. My sixth grade students LOVED IT! I could play along with them, and some even beat me! I recommend all upper level reading teachers to buy it.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 18, 2023
We love this game. It is quick and easy to play. I purchased this for several of my married children as they could sit and play it as a couple for a stay at home date night. LOTS of FUN for EVERYONE!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 7, 2023
Very easy to learn and fun! Reminds me a lot of the Wordscapes game I love to play on my phone. You have to figure out what the words are in each of the color rings based on the color of the previous card you lay down. My elementary students love it, and my family of teenagers love it!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 30, 2022
Great game we ordered a couple weeks before school started. My daughter played it in school and loved it, so I ordered for her birthday. It was a great way to get her mind going again before school at end of summer break and fun!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 10, 2020
Word A Round is a fun game…..at first. After you’ve played it a bunch of times, you know all the words, and then it isn’t much of a challenge anymore. If you play with others who also know the words, it’s okay. But someone who knows the words against someone who doesn’t really isn’t fair. It isn’t evenly matched and not fun for any of the players. If you know the words, it’s too easy, and if you don’t it’s impossible for you to get any cards because the person that knows the words gets them much quicker than you.
The durability of the game itself is fine. The cards are paper and can tear, but they won’t tear just from being touched. They’re made of pretty strong paper. The box is small and easy to store. You can take it on long car rides or on the airplane to play as you’re traveling. The box is very strong — not the thin paper of the cards. The only problem is that the cover can fall off easily if the box is turned upside down. All of the cards will fall out if the cover falls off. It doesn’t have anything keeping/holding it on the box.
Kids can play this game. It’s a good game for kids who know how to read, but they have to play with someone on their reading level in order for them to have a chance. Adults and older kids can also play this game, but like I said in the beginning of my review, it can get boring very quickly. You just learn all the words and it isn’t a fun game to play anymore.
This game won’t give you hours of fun.
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 8, 2022
This game was a hit with family and friends.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 12, 2022
We played this with our 13 and 16 year olds and everyone had a great time. It is very easy to learn and a lot of fun. We laughed the whole time! It only takes about 5-10 minutes to play.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 17, 2020
My kids (ages 11 & 9) enjoy this game as a part of family game nights! The vocab words can be challenging for them but the competition makes it fun & worthwhile!
Nice compact set that might be fun to take on road trips. Fun & fast & quick gameplay. Took a few games for our younger son to learn the rules but once you get it down, you are all set. Cards are nice and sturdy which is nice (as we tend to bend cards all the time!).
Only drawback is … we need more cards already (and no Add On Pack offered at this time). Not required but a nice-to-have.
Recommend for family fun (and «accidental learning» too)!
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Top reviews from other countries
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun but easily memorized
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 14, 2018
Has had it for a year now. The game is very fun and interesting. Ive played it twice with my family and 3 times with my friends. Now the game has a lot of cards so, you could play for 3 or 4 times and still have fun. But after that you could easily memorize the words that are on the cards and the game gets boring.
But since ihavent played in quite a while. I was able to forget some of the words so i guess playing it once a year is ok lol.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Kids love it
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on September 5, 2019
Fun game keeps the children involved for a good amount of time with fun learning!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun for all the family
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 16, 2017
We enjoyed playing this with the kids. Sometimes they got a word before the grown ups so great for spelling practice
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great game — bought it for my niece for her …
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 5, 2017
Great game — bought it for my niece for her 9th birthday and she loves it. We’ve already planned to take it on our big family holiday to play.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four Stars
Reviewed in India 🇮🇳 on March 26, 2016
A simple idea but a great game, especially when you are playing against like minded competitive players
Who knew that positioning a word in one continuous ring would make it so tricky to read?
The challenge in WordARound is to quickly figure out where the word starts and to read it aloud before your opponents.
The game seems so simple, but you’ll find yourself baffled as you race to spot and call out words!
Components
- 100 WordARound Cards with 300 Words
- Instructions
Object of the Game
Win 10 cards! Collect cards by being first to correctly read the word written in the designated ring on the card.
Setup
Shuffle the circular cards and place them in a single stack, face-up, in the center of the playing area. Make sure the card stack is visible to all players.
When the card stack is first laid down, the dealer should keep his or her hand on top of it, covering the top card so that no player can peek!
Once all players are ready, the dealer removes his or her hand, and the game begins.
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All players look at the card on top of the stack and race to correctly read and call out the word written in the black (outermost) ring.
Note: The first card of every game starts with the black ring.
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If you are first to correctly identify and call out the word, you win the card.
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When you win a card, take it and place it face-down in front of you.
The back of your card will show one of three colors (Black, Red or Blue) — this indicates which color ring players must look at to call out the word on the next card, face-up in the stack.
End of the Game
The first player to collect 10 cards wins!
Example Round:
- Players look at the word in the black ring.
- Greg is the first to call out «CALORIES!»
- Greg wins the card and flips it over to reveal the color Red.
- Players now race to read the word in the Red ring.
If two or more players call out the correct word at the same time:
- In this case, a tie-breaker round is played.
- The current card is removed and placed face-down next to the card stack.
- Tying players now compete as usual, using the newly- revealed color to dictate which color ring they should look at to call out the next word.
- The winner of this round wins both cards and places them face-down in his or her pile.
- Play resumes as normal, using the color on the back ofthe winner’s last card to determine which word will be read next.
- If there is a tie for the last card in the card stack, the game ends. No player wins this card.
Stuck?
If all players are stuck on the same word, discard the card and look for the word in the same color ring on the next card in the stack.
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- rattlethestars
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Scratcher
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Word-A-Round >> A Simple but Challenging Word Game
I have made a Scratch game based on the card game Word-A-Round. Some of you may have played it before. If you like word scrambles, you will like this game!
Word-A-Round is a card game with round cards. Each of the cards have three differently colored rings. All the letters in the rings spell out a word, and you have to figure out what that word is. It sounds easy, but it’s harder than you think. On the back of the card is a color. That color is the color ring that has the word you must unravel. See the game for more detailed instructions.
Here is the link to the game: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/114573470/
Thanks for viewing this and have fun! 
- rattlethestars
-
Scratcher
2 posts
Word-A-Round >> A Simple but Challenging Word Game
- Discussion Forums
- » Show and Tell
- » Word-A-Round >> A Simple but Challenging Word Game
Fun word games for kids are a great way to fight boredom while also helping kids improve vocabulary, spelling, and communication skills. Kids will retain more vocabulary, remember grammar rules, and learn spelling tricks if they have fun while learning and these word games are a great place to start.
What are the benefits of word games?
Word games are not just fun boredom busters! They have lots of literacy benefits.
Word games will:
- Improve reading and language skills
- Boost intelligence
- Increase quick thinking and concentration skills
- Cultivate relationships when played with others
- Teach spelling
- Aid foreign language learners
- Help develop confidence
- Enhance communication skills
I have sorted the games into the following three categories below:
- Thinking word games that require no-prep, some are pen and paper games
- Word board games (Actually none of them use a board, ha ha ha)
- Sight word games, particularly good for the classroom
So, what are you waiting for, start playing! (Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may earn commission.)
Word Games and Vocabulary Games
What I love about all the word game ideas in this section is that they are free word games!They are travel friendly, and even older kids will enjoy them. Play them on the go! Play them when you are stuck in traffic! Play them while you wait in line at the DMV! Improve your kids vocabulary whenever and wherever you want.
Words within A Word
Words within a word is probably my favorite on the list, and it’s great for teachers in the classroom. Write out a long word on a piece of paper or a white board, if you have one. Set a timer for 3-5 minutes and challenge kids to come up with as many smaller words as they can using only the letters in the designated word.
For example, if the word is «onomatopoeia»: poem, name, top, pot, ate, etc.
Unscramble
You will need a pen and paper for this word puzzle. Write a list of 10 words, but instead of spelling them correctly, mix up the letters and challenge your child to unscramble them. To make it a little more fun, select all words from a single category. For example: kcae, kieooc, epi, ssertde, eci mreac becomes cake, cookie, pie, dessert, ice cream.
TIP: for younger kids choose only 3-5 letter words. I also have a frozen version of this game to play in the bathtub! For older kids, try taking 2 word phrases and scrambling them together as if they are one word.
The Minister’s Cat
You can play this game with 2 or more players and it’s great for learning new words! The first person starts off by describing the minister’s cat with an adjective that begins with the letter «A.» For example, «The minister’s cat is an angry cat.» The next player uses an adjective with the first letter «B,» and so on through the alphabet. «The minister’s cat is a bulbous cat.» «The minister’s cat is a cantankerous cat.»
VARIATION: The Minister’s Cat is also a memory game. Players must remember all the adjectives in order as they are added to the game. Using the above example, the second player would say, «The minister’s cat is an angry, bulbous cat.» The third, «The minister’s cat is an angry, bulbous, cantankerous cat.»
MORE: Memory Games for Kids
Hink Pink
Hink Pinks are rhyming word puzzles. One person thinks of a two word rhyme and gives a two word description. The other player then must guess the «Hink Pink.» For example, if one person says, «angry boy», the other player responds, «mad lad.» Or, «wet canine» becomes «soggy doggy.»
Hink Pink examples: shy fly, funny bunny, slow crow, big wig.
TIP: If players are having trouble coming up with hink pinks, write down a bunch of hink pinks on individual slips of paper and place in a jar for players to draw out on their turn.
Human Thesaurus
Choose a simple word like «beautiful.» Think of as many synonyms as you can. If playing with others, you can set a timer and trade off with different words, or write words down and see who can come up with the most.
Storytelling Word by Word
Start a story with a single word. The next player says that word and builds the story with another word. The next player says the first two words, adds a third, and so on. Alternatively, you can build sentence by sentence. TIP: keep sentences short.
Hangman
This classic word game probably needs no introduction! One person thinks of a word and draws dashes along a paper to represent each letter in the word. Above the dashes he draws platform and stand. The other person guesses one letter at a time. If the letter is in the word, the first person fills in the blank(s). If not, the incorrect letter is written below and the first person draws one body part at a time. If the person guesses the word before the body is completed (head, torso, 2 arms, 2 legs), he wins, if not — well, he loses.
Word Board Games
You can find some really wonderful word «board» games to play with kids, either for family game night or in the classroom. I put «board» in quotation marks because none of these games use an actual board!
Boggle
Boggle is such a classic game and the shaking sound when mixing up all the letter cubes brings back great memories of playing the game way back when I was a kid.
Find it: Boggle | Boggle Jr.
Word-A-Round
Word-a-round is a relatively new game but great for kids who already know how to spell fairly fluently. It’s also an excellent travel game. Each round card contains words spelled in a circle. Players race to decipher the words before anyone else!
Find it: Word-A-Round
Bananagrams
This classic game is very similar to Scrabble, but without the board. Plus, it comes in a cute banana-shaped pouch! When the kids were younger and had few spelling skills, we played as teams, with each adult paired with a child. Now there is a version for developing spellers.
Find it: Bananagrams classic | My First Bananagrams (ages 4 and up)
MORE: Best Tile Games for Family Game Night
Quiddler
Quiddler is a lesser known card game that we’ve had great fun playing. Read more about Quiddler in my game of the month feature.
Find it: Quiddler | Quiddler Jr.
Sight Word Games
If you are working specifically on sight words with your kids and students, try using these diy sight words games and sight word board games to make learning more fun.
DIY and Printable Sight Word Games
The Measured Mom has a ton of free printable sight word games. Start with this one right here!
Sight Words Dominoes from No Time for Flashcards
Sight Words Pancakes from Playdough to Plato.
Sight Words BINGO with Dolch Words from The Activity Mom
Zingo!
Zingo, Sight Words Edition. The original Zingo is an excellent classic game for pre-readers and early readers and this sight word edition is a must-have addition to the family of games. The Zingo games definitely take the pain out of memorizing sight words and give kids the confidence they need to improve their reading skills.
Other fun literacy ideas:
- Indoor and outdoor literacy games
- ABC books for kids that parents will enjoy, too!
- Picture books about words that share a love of language
If you’re a wordsmith, a word-wiz, or just enjoy a little wordplay, these word board games are right up your vocabulary alley. Word board games can be used as an educational tool, as a hilarious party game, or simply as a way to keep your wordy wits about you. If you’re not into word games, don’t fret, word unscrambling tools can give you an assist in any word game while improving your vocabulary.
So on-words and up-words, here are our top 20 best word board games!
Like Word Games? Why not also check out our list of Puzzle Games and Trivia Games that keep you mentally active, while still having fun?
🏆 Our Top Picks for Best Word Board Games
In a hurry? Take a quick peek before you go.
Best Team
4.0
Best Quick
3.8
Best Overall
4.2
04/11/2023 05:30 pm GMT
When I Dream
Players: 4-10
Playing time: 20-40 min
Put on your sleep masks and try to decipher your dreams!
When we fall asleep and enter a dream world, the imagination and imagery can be truly magical. When I Dream turns players into dreamers. Be careful when entering the magical world of dreams because the Dream Spirits want to have fun!
When I Dream is an innovative game that puts a focus on creativity and player imagination. Put on your sleep mask and try to interpret the Dream Spirits messages. With fairies, naughty spirits, and even the Boogeyman, the game has an array of characters that make it challenging and that give the game depth.
This is an excellent fast-paced party game that’ll have you storytelling before the Boogeyman wreaks havoc!
What we liked
When I Dream offers some new unique mechanics that give the word game genre something to think about. Combine that with the gorgeous artwork and you get a really pretty and fun game.
What could be better
With the timer included, it can rapidly descend into chaos.
Werewords
Players: 4-10
Playing time: 10 min
Guess the magic word!
In Werewords, players must guess a secret word by asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Be careful, time catches up to you! Like in most games, there’s always a villain looming and trying to interrupt play. In Werewords, one player is secretly a werewolf.
Not only is this player working against you, but they also know the Magic Word. Even if you don’t guess the word in time, you still have the chance of exposing the werewolf and winning the game!
What’s cool about this word game is that it comes with an iOS/Android app that’ll provide thousands of words in hundreds of categories giving the game-high replayability.
What we liked
It’s like One Night Ultimate Werewolf but combined with a word game. It’s a weird combination that seems to work very well.
What could be better
Like the original Werewolf, Werewords suffers from similar role management. There are only a handful of roles that are really fun to play, but most players end up as villagers.
Will you figure out the word or will the werewolf get you? Better get your top wordsmith on the case.
Trapwords
Players: 4-8
Playing time: 30-45 min
You know the secret word your teammates must guess. You’ll give clues to help but the other team has other plans in mind. They’ve set a list of ‘trapwords’. You can’t say them or you’ll end up trapped in dungeons with terrifying monsters. Easy enough? Oh, there’s also a time limit.
Trap words is a fast-paced party game that seems like a simple task of giving clues but gets more challenging by not knowing which words can be said.
If you’re looking for a word game with a fantasy theme, Trapwords takes you into the fantasy world of dungeons and monsters.
What we liked
Trapwords is a fun fantasy variation of Taboo. The rules are changed enough to make it more interesting to play than Taboo.
What could be better
The timer can be tricky, especially for younger players.
Decrypto
Players: 3-8
Playing time: 15-45 min
Decrypto has a fun vintage aesthetic, surely making it a favorite among the hipster community. But really, this word game blends decoding and player interaction through interesting mechanics.
In this game, teammates try to transmit secret codes without letting the opposing team intercept them. Using clever graphic anaglyph components, players slide cards into the screens to decode the words.
The communication limits make Decrypto a fun and challenging word game to play, plus you’ll feel like a code breaker sending secret messages.
What we liked
The option to guess the other team’s words and clues adds another level to a fun word game.
What could be better
I’m not sure why, but I had trouble with Decrypto’s rules. It took me far longer than it should have to understand everything and teach it to my gaming group. It could have just been me, but it did give me trouble.
Letter Jam
Players: 2–6
Playing time: 45 min
Your friend gives the clue. Can you guess your secret letter?
Letter Jam is a cooperative word game where players work together to compose meaningful words from letters around the table. But the twist is only the other players can see your letter cards, not you.
Letter Jam combines team-based play and players’ deduction skills. Pull together as a team, find the clues, and reap the fruits of cooperation!
Jam out at the next game night and decipher the codes!
What we liked
Under its simple exterior, Letter Jam offers a cerebral word game that delivers more gameplay the longer you play.
What could be better
It’s played best with more players and is all but obsolete at 2-players.
Bananagrams
Players: 1-8
Playing time: 15 mins
A fun game for everyone that’ll drive you bananas.
Gather your friends and family and race against each other to build crossword grids. Bananagrams is an educational and entertaining game with which you can teach kids how to spell words all while having fun at the same time.
In Bananagrams, players have to build their words with letters as fast as they possibly can. A race to finish, speed, and a great vocabulary make the game super exciting.
What we liked
The game is in a case that’s shaped like an actual banana, making it a great travel game. It can fit in any bag and it comes in a cute package. What’s not to like?
What could be better
If you have trouble with words then the real-time movements and actions can be tricky to deal with.
Blank Slate
Players: 3-8
Playing time: 20-35 min
The game where great minds think alike.
Blank Slate is a game of predictions. “The game where great _ _ _ _ _ think alike!” Easy to learn and quick to play makes Blank Slate a fun game for all levels.
By picking a word cue card, you’ll write which word you think best completes a phrase. To take this a step further, you’ll have to try to match it to another player’s words.
In this clever party game, prediction skills are key to matching words. If you get good enough you’ll soon be winning the _ _ _ _!
What we liked
Blank Slate is a simple and very fast-playing word game. It works very well as an icebreaker and introduction for people who just met.
What could be better
Your enjoyment of Blank Slate is going to highly depend on who you are playing with.
Codenames
Players: 2-8
Playing time: 15 min
‘The top-secret word game. Win or lose, it’s fun to figure out the clues!’
There are good reasons why Codenames has become a staple on board gamers’ shelves. Codenames is a deceptively awesome game that’s easy to learn and perfect for parties.
Codenames is a social word game in which two rival spymasters know 25 secret agents. Their teams only know agents by codenames. Make contact with all your agents first and win. Although this game can be challenging, the social component keeps everyone entertained as they race to finish first.
This is a fun game when you’re winning, but even better when you’re losing.
What we liked
Codenames is quick, easy to learn, and a blast. There’s a reason it’s become a go-to game in so many households.
What could be better
There’s a lot of hype surrounding Codenames. There are numerous games out there that do the same thing, Codenames just does it really well. If you’re looking for something innovative and unique, you’ll be disappointed.
More versions of Codenames
Poetry for Neanderthals
Players: 2-12
Playing time: 15 min
A word game where you must ‘speak good’ or get hit with a stick.
Poetry for Neandertals is a competitive word-guessing game. Players are only allowed to use single-syllable words to give clues to their team to guess the phrase.
For example, the word is broccoli, you’ll have to say something like, ‘green food, live long’. Use a big word, you’ll get hit on the head with a 2-foot-long inflatable club.
From the geniuses that brought us Exploding Kittens, Poetry for Neandertals is another fun addition to a game night. With only 15 minutes to play, this hilarious, challenging, cutthroat game tests the patience of logophiles the world over.
What we liked
If you’re a fan of The Oatmeal webcomic, you’re going to love the artwork and irreverent humor. It’s just as ridiculous and fun as it looks.
What could be better
The humor is a bit low-brow. If you’re not comfortable speaking oddly and smacking friends over the head, then this is probably going to be a miss.
Just One
Players: 3-7
Playing time: 20 min
A cooperative party game where you’ll have to work together to discover the mystery words!
Just One starts with one player drawing a card and choosing a number from it. Each player gets one clue word and together you’ll try to solve the mystery word. Just One is a brilliant word game as it combines cooperative skills with deduction, memory, and creative thinking.
What we liked
I really like the mechanic that discards identical clues. This forces you to be strategic and creative with your clues. Easy-to-learn and easy to play make Just One a relaxed game for everyone.
What could be better
Just One is great, but it can feel as if turns take forever and that’s not good for a party game.
Punderdome
Players: 3- 99
Playing time: 30-90 min
A card game for the pun lovers among us.
Punderdome will have you laughing out loud with its punny cards and creative style of play.
Once a pun a time, the creators of Punderdome saw a space in the word game market for a pun game for family and friends. With pun jokes on the back of each card, you can entertain the crowds while waiting to come up with a pun. Some can take longer than others but you can play with no time limits.
If you’re a pun lover, this is a punderful card game that you won’t regret purchasing.
What we liked
Unlike many of the other games on this list, Punderdome offers quite a lot of opportunities for creativity. It lets you create something instead of just showing off your knowledge of vocabulary.
What could be better
It’s a game about puns. You’re going to be groaning and laughing, but if you’re not well-versed in puns and dad jokes, it may be a little dry.
Quiddler
Players: 1-8
Playing time: 30 min
Quiddler: Simply for the fun of words.
Quiddler is a short word game that’s a great pick for word lovers as well as non-word-game players. With this card game, the goal is to arrange your cards in your hand to create one or more words.
If you deal more cards, you’ll have more opportunities to create words. At the end of the game, the highest score wins.
Quiddler is a sort of Uno-style word game as some cards can double letters and add bonuses to your points. Sharpening your word skills and a bit of luck will have you winning Quiddler!
What we liked
Quiddler makes for a great travel game. It’s simple enough that anyone can play and it’s so easy to pull it out and play wherever you are.
What could be better
Quiddler relies on luck of the draw to get letters. If you have an extensive vocabulary you can overcome bad draws, but it’s still luck-based.
Hot Words
Players: 4-16
Playing time: 20-30 min
Hot Words is a party game where you can’t say that.
In Hot Words, you’ll describe words while your team tries to guess what the word is. In each of the 4 rounds, your team will pick a spicy jalapeño card that has a ‘Hot Word’ on it that you can’t say.
As each round goes by, it’ll get hotter and harder but also more hilarious trying to avoid all the ‘Hot Words’ your team has accumulated.
What we liked
Hot Words provides a simple concept and puts it together in a nice little package. It’s a wordplay game that has a ton of replayability.
With fun added elements like a ghost pepper round, a 90-second sand timer, a dinner bell, and little hot sauce bottles, Hot Words is a fun and exciting party game!
What could be better
If you’re looking for a smaller group game, Hot Words is best played as a party game with more players.
Can you handle the heat?
Dabble
Players: 2-4
Playing time: 30-60 min
The game where if you can spell, you can play!
Dabble is a fast word game that’s both educational and fun. To start the game you say ‘GO!’ and players race to spell 5 words using 20 tiles. The first person to spell their word wins!
What we liked
The added difficulty of making multiple words of varying sizes seems like a simple concept but definitely makes Dabble stand out.
What could be better
Like a lot of word games, if you have someone who memorizes vocabulary words in their free time, they’ll absolutely destroy everyone. It’s best to play with people of the same skill and vocabulary level.
Word a Round
Players: 2
Playing time: 20 min
Race to unravel the word!
Word a Round is a challenging word game where you’ll have to quickly figure out where the word starts and then read it aloud before your opponent. As you answer on the spot, the game becomes a little more difficult as you race to answer. Mistakes are made under pressure so players have to have their wits about them.
Word a Round is an award-winning card game that’s a great educational tool in classrooms or at home. It helps develop critical thinking skills, making it a favorite among speech therapists. If you are looking for a fun game that’ll also help with learning, this is a great choice.
What we liked
Word a Round can be learned in seconds and it’s one of the most unique word games on this list.
What could be better
Since this requires you to guess at words around a circular card, it can be difficult for people with visual impairments.
Word on the Street
Players: 2-10
Playing time: 20 min
A hilarious tug of words.
Word on the Street is a card game in which players take turns flipping category cards, racing the clock to come up with the answer. With each correct answer, you move closer to the sidewalk… and to safety.
With 432 different categories, there is huge variation and replayability. This game is particularly focused on being educational. It helps players improve their vocabulary, practice spelling, and develop social skills.
What we liked
Word on the Street is a simple enough word game but combines wordplay with enough strategy to make it unique.
What could be better
You’ll need to have quick recall of your vocabulary, so if you’re looking for a slow burn game then this is not what you’re looking for.
Wordplay: Family Edition
Players: 2
If your family loves word games, WordPlay is a fast-paced challenge in which everyone plays every round.
A fun spinner determines the letters and the category for each round. For example, ‘Food and Drinks’ means you can only use words that begin with the letter ‘E’. The difference with this family edition is even if you think of things that don’t start with the correct letter, you still score some points.
This game is a friendly and inclusive way to help kids learn and be introduced to the wonderful world of word board games.
What we liked
Wordplay is a simple word game that appeals to everyone. It’s simple enough that anyone can pick it up and have some fun right out of the box.
What could be better
Wordplay’s universal appeal means that there’s no real innovation or new mechanics. It’s fun, but you’ve seen it before and will see it again in other word games.
Upwords
Players: 1-4
Playing time: 90 min
Upwords a game of quick stacking and word hacking.
In this word-building game, the higher you stack, the higher your score. With each player starting out with 7 words that you can play up or down, the game almost feels like Scrabble.
But here, you can stack letters on top of others. When you stack letters higher on each other, you earn more points. This makes Upwords more intense and strategic.
Upwords is very versatile and can be played solo to challenge yourself, with kids, or with your friends. Experience this high-stakes, high-stacking word game, and grow your vocabulary as you go!
What we liked
I honestly prefer Upwords over Scrabble. The tile stacking adds a whole new dimension to the classic wordplay formula.
What could be better
It’s a minor issue, but I’m not a fan of the components on the deluxe board. They work fine, but the color scheme makes it difficult to see for me.
Wordical
Players: 2-8
The radical, dice-rolling, word-building race!
Wordical is another educational word game in which players roll a vowel die and combine consonants to make a word. It’s a fun way for kids to develop their spelling skills and build vocabulary. It’s easy to learn and moves quickly so there are no long pauses.
This is a wonderful game for the classroom or for students who are struggling with their phonics.
What we liked
The dice add an interesting twist to this word game. Randomness is usually added through other means, but it’s a refreshing take on the word game genre.
What could be better
It’s a simple travel game, so the rules and gameplay are very simple. You won’t find in-depth strategy here, but that’s ok for a word game.
Wordsmithery
Players: 2- 99
Playing time: 20 min
The game for every wordsmith, young and old.
Wordsmithery is a fun, fast-paced game in which you can test your wordsmith skills. Draw a word, read it to your opponent, and see if they can guess the meaning from the three options.
With some difficult words like ‘egregious’ or ‘phalanx’, it could seem difficult for children but included are 50 easier cards for kids. The different levels of difficulty make this a family-friendly word board game.
What we liked
The concept is extremely easy to understand and the word choices are genuinely fun to play with.
What could be better
Eventually, you’re going to memorize all of the words available in the box. There are only so many times you can be surprised by a word before we simply learn it.
Wrap-Up
What are your favorite word games to play? We hope you enjoyed our top picks for the best word board games out there! Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried any of these or if we missed any that you think should be on the list. We’d love to hear from you!
Happy Wordsmithing!
Kendra has always been a hardcore fantasy nerd. Growing up in the worlds of Tolkien, Sanderson, Jordan, and Abercrombie, DnD & board games just came naturally. She and her husband, Bryan, started GameCows.com in 2018 as a fun passion project that just took over their lives. An avid board gamer since childhood and chronic DnD chronicler for more than two decades, she loves to play, write, travel, and learn dead languages.
These word board games are an excellent way to build up your middle schooler’s vocabulary. They’re educational board games for teenagers.
As teens get ready for high school, it’s important that they have strong language skills, both reading and writing. That means during the middle school years, they should spend time improving their spelling and vocabulary skills.
Instead of relying on a large curriculum or boring worksheets to help your teens further develop their word building skills, play some of these board games instead. They’re a great way to work on language arts.
When middle schoolers play these vocabulary word games, they’re not just sitting there answering questions and spouting memorized facts. They’re playing with words and being creative.
Fun language arts games help teens get comfortable with spelling, vocabulary, and building words. All of which improve their reading and writing skills.
Personally, I think the days of giving kids long lists of words to memorize for spelling and vocabulary are long gone.
Tweens learn better when they’re immersed in a subject instead of just retaining facts.
One way to engage your homeschooler in language is to play games specifically designed for word building. As they play, they’ll be shoring up their spelling skills, building their vocabulary and improving their reading skills, all while having some fun.
Board games also have an element of friendly competition built in, so your older kids will be busy trying to beat you and each other, and they’ll probably forget they’re actually learning.
Not only are these word games perfect for language arts class, they’re so enjoyable that they make great additions to your family game night.
The ultimate goal is to raise kids who can communicate effectively, whether written or verbally, so I’m all for using whatever tools work to accomplish this.
These board games and card games are fun to play and excellent tools to add to your language arts plans.
How to Use Board Games in the Classroom
So how can you incorporate board games like these into your classroom or homeschool? It’s actually easier than you think!
- Set aside your language arts curriculum for the day (especially any spelling or vocabulary plans) and play a game instead.
- Transform a standard game by using the facts you’re teaching as the clues.
- Play a word game during lunch. It’s simple to pull out one of these games while you’re sitting at the table eating, and it won’t take any time away from your school day.
- When kids finish their work early or after you give a test, use a word game as a reward.
- If you usually take a day off during the week or have one where your teen has a lighter course load, take an hour to play a game or two.
- Add these word board games to your next family game night. Everyone can benefit from expanding and strengthening their vocabulary. Plus, tweens will love trying to beat you in a word game.
Use games with small groups, individual play, or as a fun activity for the family.
Any links in this post may be affiliate links. See my disclosure statement.
MORE LANGUAGE ARTS ACTIVITIES
Aside from word games, there are plenty of fun activities you can use to build the vocabulary of older children.
- Improve creative writing skills with Story Builders.
- Printable word games.
- Teach writing to teens with dysgraphia.
- These word tools will build confidence.
This is one of our favorite word games. Players race to write down two words that fit the category on the card, and if they match another player’s answer, they both earn points.
It’s an awesome family game.
You play this game with two stacks of cards — category cards and letter cards.
The top card on the category pile is turned over first. As soon as a letter card is flipped, players rush to be the first person to shout out something that fits the category and starts with the letter.
Players race to be the first one to find the word that hides in the letter spiral.
Sounds easy, but it can be quite challenging to find where the word begins and ends when you’re scrambling to beat your opponent.
Scattergories is a classic game that helps build vocabulary words.
Players start the round with a category list. Once the letter die is tossed, they must rush to write as many words as they can that fit the category and start with the chosen letter.
You need to be quick to finish before the time limit. But only unique answers count, so you’ll have to use your vocabulary to win.
As players move around the board, they try to guess the correct vocabulary word from the definition card.
If they give the wrong word, the other players have time to answer.
This game puts a unique twist on the classic crossword puzzle game.
Players try to score the most points by creating words, but they have the added choice of adding their letters on top of other ones.
The higher the pile, the more points players earn.
This game is played with 8 stacks of cards in the middle. When it’s your turn, you choose any of the top cards and create a word. The next player does the same, but then can use the remaining letters to play on your word.
Play continues until you use all the cards.
This is another game that’s played with category cards and letter cards.
However, with this game, when the cards are turned over, players try to be the last one to shout out a word that starts with the letter and matches the category.
The timer is random, so you never know when the time will end.
Players spin the spinner to determine the two letters and category for each round. Then, players race to write as many words as possible that start with one letter and contain the other and also fit the category.
Scrabble is a classic word game that’s still an excellent tool for building everyone’s spelling and vocabulary skills.
Players use their chosen tiles to make words, while trying to get the highest score possible.
This is a fun game to play and is incredibly portable, thanks to the handy banana pouch.
There are lots of variations on the gameplay of Bananagrams, so you’ll never get bored playing. In the classic play, players use their tiles to make words in a crossword-style form.
Boggle is a fun sight word game that’s been around for years.
Players put the lid on and shake the letter dice. Once they settle, start the timer and try to find as many simple words in the letters as you can.
Write them down on a piece of paper before time runs out.
Players are given 20 tiles, and a 5 tiered holder to begin.
When someone says go, everyone races to build 5 different words with their tiles and place them in the slots on the plastic holder.
As soon as someone builds their words, they shout, Dabble, and the round ends.
This vocabulary game includes 108 consonant cards and 2 vowel dice.
Players roll the vowel dice and use them with the consonant cards in their hand to build the highest scoring word.
This is a cute game that will definitely challenge tweens.
You give all players a paper pod and colored letters. When the timer begins, they use their letters to build a word on the pod. Then, they give the pod to the next player and the next round begins.
Now players use the word in front of them and their remaining letters to build a new word.
When your pod gets back around to you, you count the number of letters in your color and that’s your score for the round.
This game will definitely get your tween’s creative juices flowing.
There are 9 dice with pictures on each side. To begin, a player rolls the dice and tells a story, trying to include as many of the pictures as possible.
This is a great game to take along to parties or on a family trip.
There are a bunch of other dice/picture variations you can choose from too.
Here’s how we use Story Cubes in our homeschool.
Hopefully, you’ve seen how easy it is to help your teens build their language arts skills through games. Plus, they’re a lot of fun for middle school students!
Remember that your vocabulary is like a muscle. The more you use it and work it, the stronger it gets. And word board games are a good way to get older kids excited about English language arts.
Don’t let tweens just sit there answering questions and spouting memorized facts. Take some time to play these word games in your homeschool and watch how quickly everyone’s language improves.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WORD Board GAME?
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I love homeschooling! Learning is a way of life for our family. Most days you will find us exploring our Central Florida community, having fun while learning. I am constantly looking for new and interactive ways to engage my older children.