Collins Official Scrabble Dictionary
Book Review

by Derek
(Brisbane, Australia)

There might be 1 or 2 copies here

If you are at all serious about your Scrabble - even if you are a lounge room player - I highly recommend you have an 'official' dictionary on your shelf that unambiguously tells you whether any given word is in or out. But...

Be careful with the word 'Official'!

This bulky tome is the official Scrabble dictionary endorsed by the World English Scrabble Players Association. Despite the powerful name, though, this doesn't mean that everybody uses it. North America uses a different adjudicator with the dangerously similar name of Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, which I've also reviewed.

In a nutshell... if you play Scrabble in North America, you should purchase the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. If you play in any other country (the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and so on), or in any tournament sanctioned by the World English Scrabble Players Association, you should purchase Collins Official Scrabble Dictionary (if there are any left!).

And just in case that isn't already complicated enough, here is another IMPORTANT WARNING if you are considering this book...

It is crucial that you get the correct edition of this dictionary. The reason is that Collins initially brought out a highly defective version of this book which, on the insistence of Scrabble players, was revised to correct a significant number of errors. Furthermore, as with all dictionaries, a new edition is always in the making. I maintain the links on this page to ensure they will always take you to the latest correct edition. However, if you purchase this title elsewhere, I can't guarantee you'll get the right one.