Photo taken by Beth Wiggins for WordFinder
It is a truth universally acknowledged, at least among dedicated word nerds, that the highest scoring word in Words With Friends and Scrabble is oxyphenbutazone. This obsolete anti-inflammatory will, if played in insanely favorable circ*mstances, net you 1,674 points in WWF and a nonsensical 1,778 points in Scrabble.
Reality Check
The thing about oxyphenbutazone is that not only is it a bad medication, it's also a useless word.
Leave aside that you'd have to have eight letters in one particular configuration even to have a shot. Recognize that 1,778 points is 400 points more than has ever been scored in a competitive Scrabble game. Like, the whole thing. In Scrabble, as in life, oxyphenbutazone will do you no good.
Unless you have ankylosing spondylitis (a type of arthritis), apparently. It's good for that. Otherwise, it's just a neat bit of trivia, like how someone apparently scored 2,044 points in one move by playing "sesquioxidizing."
Digital Daring With Friends
Words With Friends, however, is not Scrabble, and we at WordFinder deal in word trivia only if it helps your game. First, let us dispose of the obvious: No, not even the higher-scoring, more linguistically generous Words With Friends will ever let you play oxyphenbutazone in a conventional, competitive game.
But, part of the appeal of Words With Friends is that there are options beyond a conventional, competitive game. Appropriately enough, you only need one thing to play the biggest, meanest, most beautiful word in all of Words With Friends: a friend.
With their collaboration, you should be able to spell oxyphenbutazone in just a few tries. In fact, you can hop on YouTube right now and watch players lay down the theoretically impossible word.
Big Words That Work
But we know you're hungry for more. You didn't come to WordFinder for lexicographic ramblings and a YouTube link. You want ammo. You're looking for the mightiest, most spectacular words to make your Words With Friends foes quake in their digital boots.
We've got you. Here are three beautiful beasts that, while not quite the Brobdingnagian disaster that is oxyphenbutazone, are still spectacular plays.
BADMOUTH — 191 points. This player is understandably enthused. We'd suspect collusion from Aunt Jackie, but if our own experience playing against family is any indication, not a chance. Relatives are ruthless.
JERRIES — 177 points. We learned about this one from WordFinder fan Jason Villanueva, who played this word in one of his games. Nicely done, Jason.
BLAZONER — 167 points. This one was appended to the Quora question "What are some of the best Words With Friends' high scores?" Seems like a solid answer!
SHOATS — 126 points. These presumably adorable piglets are this author's personal highest scoring play to date. Here's a screenshot for skeptical Scrabble scholars.
Outpointing for High Scores
We close with "shoats" and a personal reflection for a reason. The listed plays weren't absurdly long and obscure words like oxyphenbutazone. Only two of them even contained a JQXZ letter. High scoring, as with every element of victory in Words With Friends, is less about what you know than where you play.
Even more than Scrabble, Words With Friends is a strategy game in word game's clothing. Control the areas, claim the power-ups, and you'll have a triple-digit score of your own to show for it. For more mighty words and subtle strategy, try our 25 high scoring Scrabble words you'll actually play. Good luck and have fun!
Matt Salterhas been a professional writer for over 10 years. He is a gaming and technology expert, and world-class word nerd.
