The beauty of word games is that they can be played by people of all ages and skill levels. That said, we encourage you to invite family members to play word games with you; it’s a great way to bring excitement to a room or bridge a gap in physical distance.
According to the Society of Behavioral Medicine, playing games as a family is beneficial for numerous reasons. Dr. Kelseanna Hollis-Hansen writes, “Research has found that making time to play games together supports more effective, open family communication and a greater sense of togetherness.”
Hollis-Hansen adds that the skills you develop from playing word games are skills that will help you and yours navigate life. “Games require us to take turns, cooperate, learn systems of rules, and persist through setbacks. These are skills that are highly valued and require regular practice to learn,” she states.
This begs the question: What are the top ten family word games you can ask your family members to play with you? Last Letter First has compiled a list of the top ten family word games worth exploring; these are games that bring joy to families across America and beyond!
Top Ten Family Word Games:
10. Wordscapes
If you’d like to invite your sweet grandmother or laid-back cousin to play an online word game with you, consider introducing them to Wordscapes. The goal of the game is to simply connect letters to form words so you can complete crossword-style grids. Wordscapes is a relaxing, casual family word game that’s challenging enough to hold everyone’s interest.
9. BuyWord
This tabletop game expertly blends vocabulary, mathematics, and money management skills. It may very well appeal to your group’s reigning Monopoly champion because it involves buying and selling. During gameplay, players roll the dice and draw a set number of tiles based on the results of their roll. Letters can be purchased using money cards. Once you use your letters to form a word, you sell it to make a profit. How much you earn depends on the value of the individual letters.
8. Scrabble
Scrabble is one of those classic board games that never gets old. It’s been around for decades, helping people of all ages expand and strengthen their vocabulary. If you and your family members are fans of creating words using individual letter tiles, you can’t go wrong with Scrabble. And, like we always say, if you love Scrabble, you’ll love Last Letter First.
7. Pictoword
Another family word game you can play online is Pictoword. You’ll use a series of pictures to create a word or phrase. Difficulty levels for this trivia word game can be adjusted based on who’s playing. You’re bound to be surprised by how many pictures get coupled together to create a word that you didn’t see coming.
6. Codenames
Like other family word games on this list, Codenames is a popular tabletop game that can also be played online. No matter which version you play with your family, there’s room for up to 8 players. Your objective during this game is to guess the correct words your teammates give you. Guess the wrong word, and you might score a point for the other team or come across the assassin, whose secret word instantly ends the game.
5. Words With Friends
Words With Friends is a turn-based game that you can play online. It’s a family-friendly game that involves striving to create the highest-scoring word. Words With Friends is considered an educational online word game, too, because it can improve your focus and sharpen your mind.
4. Ruzzle
Ruzzle is a race-against-the-clock family word game. When you’re ready, you and your family members will each be given 16 letters. With two minutes on the clock, you must use every single to form as many words as possible before the timer runs out. Like Last Letter First, it’s an addictive family word game that will make one or more of your opponents ask, “Hey, wanna play again?”
3. Bananagrams
Ideal for up to 8 players, the goal of Bananagrams is simple: be the first player to use up all your letters. This family word game features a total of 144 letter tiles. You’ll yell banana-themed words such as “Split!” and “Peel!” throughout this fast-paced game. The winner gets to yell “Bananas!” but if the other players can’t validate a word they’ve created, they call out “Rotten Banana!” and boot that player out of the game — the equivalent of giving them that slipped-on-a-banana feeling.
2. Typeshift
An online family word game created by Zach Gage, Typeshift requires players to slide columns up or down. The goal is to create a word in the center row. Playing collaboratively makes Typeshift a great way to showcase your vocabulary while working together to solve puzzles and learn new words.
1. Last Letter First
If you’re excited about playing an immersive family word game with aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, or siblings, invite them to play one of the most popular online word games on the internet: Last Letter First. This is a game that may make some of your relatives exclaim, “How in the world did you come up with that word?” (P.S. If you have never played Last Letter First before, check out our FAQ section so you can understand how the game works and how easy it is to invite others to play.)
L-E-T T-H-E G-A-M-E-S B-E-G-I-N
Spending time with family can be made even more special when you compete against one another or work together to solve puzzles. A study titled “Family Relationships and Well-Being,” published by the National Library of Medicine, notes that “family connections can provide a greater sense of meaning and purpose as well as social and tangible resources that benefit well-being.” This underscores why it’s worthwhile to nurture connections with family near and far.
Whether you decide to play Last Letter First or Codenames, there’s a family word game out there waiting for you. Healthy competition and motivating collaboration can help you and your family members maintain fulfilling relationships now and for years to come, so play on!
