Can I start a Scrabble game using a one-letter word?
(A or I, for example)

by Lee

Or does the first word in a game have to be at least 2 letters long?

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Hi Lee - The Official Scrabble Dictionary (well, there are two actually, but they both agree on this point) does not include any one-letter words. That is because, in official Scrabble tournaments, one-letter words are not allowed. Why?

At first they seem reasonable, because the rule about which words are allowed in Scrabble does not mention a restriction on word-length. However, the very first rule of play (at least on the cover of my old Scrabble set!) says this...

'The first player combines two or more of his letters to form a word and places them on the board...'

So this rule explicitly bans one-letter words from the opening play. And since after the opening play it isn't possible to play a one-letter word (since you have to place your tile next to at least one existing tile), they are ruled out altogether.

Hope that helps,