Monopoly Scrabble Board Game Rules

Objective of Monopoly Scrabble

The objective of Monopoly Scrabble is to acquire the most cash and properties by creating words.

Setup

Place the gameboard in the middle of the table.
Each player takes a tile rack and seven random tiles. Return the rest of the tiles to the tile bag.
Choose a player to be the Banker. The Banker can still play the game, but they are responsible for handling the bank’s money, properties, etc.
Each player receives one M500 bill and five M100 bills.
The Banker puts one M500 bill underneath the Free Parking space.
Place the rest of the money and the Property Cards to the side of the board to form the Bank.
Give the Bank a tile rack. Randomly draw seven tiles and add them to the rack. Players can purchase these tiles throughout the game.
Separate the Chance and Community Chest cards. Shuffle each deck separately. Place both decks face down next to the board.
Each player chooses a token. They will place their token on the GO space.
All of the players randomly draw a tile from the tile bag. Whichever player draws the letter closest to “A” starts the game. Play passes to the left throughout the game.

Creating a Word

To begin each turn you will try to form a word with the tiles on your tile rack and the tiles already played to the center of the board. Most of the placement rules are similar to normal Scrabble.

To create a word you must use one or more of your letters. This can include tiles you purchase from the Bank (see below).

When creating words you can use any word printed in a dictionary. Players can use the same word multiple times in a game. The following words cannot be used:

Proper nouns and names
Foreign words
Abbreviations
Acronyms
Freestanding prefixes or suffixes
Words that use hypens
Words that use apostrophes
Offensive words that are demeaning, discriminatory, obscene or vulgar

Playing the Word

The first player must place their word so it covers the center star square. Every other player has to play a word that connects to one of the words already played to the board. You can connect to another word horizontally or vertically. You cannot connect to other words diagonally. Once a letter tile has been played, it cannot be moved or replaced.

Playing the first word in Monopoly Scrabble — The first player has decided to play the word “Game”. They play the G on the center star space.

You can create a new word in a number of different ways:

You can add tiles at a right angle to the current tiles in order to form a new word.
You can add letters to the front or back of a word that was already played.
Tiles can be placed parallel to another word. In this case all played letters must form words with the letters they were placed next to.
You can play tiles that turn two different words into one word.

Playing a second word — The next player decided to play the word “Board”. They used the A from “Game” to create their word.

Blank Tiles

Blank tiles are unique because they can be used for any letter. When a black tile is played, it becomes the letter that is needed to complete the word that it is played as part of. The player who plays it must say what letter it will represent.

Using a blank tile — The current player played “Winner”. They used a blank tile to represent one of the Ns in the word.

On a future turn a player can choose to replace a played blank tile with the corresponding letter tile from their own rack. They also can purchase the tile from the Bank (costs M100). You must replace it with the exact same letter. Add the blank tile to your tile rack and replace it with the corresponding tile. You can then use this blank tile on your current turn or a future turn as any letter. To take this action though, you must pay M500 to the Free Parking space.

Replacing a blank tile in Monopoly Scrabble — This player had a N tile in their rack. They decide to replace the blank tile in the word “Winner” with their N tile. They will pay M500 and add the blank tile to their rack.

Challenging a Word

If you don’t think the word that a player played is a valid word, you can challenge it. You must challenge it before the next player begins their turn.

Look up the word in a dictionary.

If it isn’t in the dictionary, the player must take back all of the letters they played. They will then lose their turn.

If the word is in the dictionary, the player that challenged loses their next turn.

Buying Letter Tile From the Bank

One unique rule in the game is that you can purchase additional tiles to use when forming words.

When you are trying to form a word you can look at the tiles currently on the Bank’s tile rack. These tiles are available for purchase. If you would like to purchase a tile from the Bank, you will pay M100 for each tile you buy. You will pay this money to the Free Parking space. When you purchase tiles, you must play them on the turn you purchase them. You cannot purchase a tile and then use it on a future turn.

Buying a letter tile in Monopoly Scrabble — The current player wants one of the tiles on the Bank’s tile rack. For each tile they take, they will have to pay M100.

After you have formed your word, the Banker first draws tiles from the tile bag to fill the Bank’s tile rack up to seven tiles. The current player then draws tiles to refill their own tile rack.

Bingo

If you form a word using all seven tiles in your tile rack, you have completed a Bingo.

As a reward you can choose any Property Card that is not owned by another player. Choose whichever Property Card you want from the Bank and add it to your own set of properties.

If no Property Cards are left, the player collects M1000 from the Bank.

Scoring Your Word

After you play a word, you will score it. To determine the score of the word you played you will add up the numbers printed on each tile in the word(s) you created. This includes the tile(s) that were already on the board before you played your tiles. Blank tiles are worth zero points.

If you create multiple words on your turn, you will score each of the words. If multiple words use a premium space, you will count the bonus for each word that uses the space.

The first word placed in the game (placed on the center star space) is worth twice its normal amount.

Scoring a word in Monopoly Scrabble — The player that played “Game” would score seven points (2 + 1 + 3 + 1). Since they played the first word in the game, they would double their score.

After you have formed your word, you will draw tiles from the tile bag until you have seven tiles in your tile rack.

Premium Spaces

If you played any tiles to premium spaces, you will increase your score by the corresponding amount. If you get two bonuses on the same word, you will apply the bonus twice. The premium spaces only increase your score on the turn that a tile is first played to them. You do not get the bonus on subsequent turns when you add letters to the corresponding word.

Blanks played to a premium letter space score no points. If they are played to a premium word space though, the whole word still receives the bonus.

Should a word utilize both a premium letter and premium word space, total the value of the premium letter before determining the value of the entire word.

Moving Around the Board

Instead of rolling dice, you will use the words you form with your tiles in order to determine how many spaces you will move your token.

After you play a word you will count up the score of the word you created. You will move your token a number of spaces clockwise around the board equal to the score of the word you formed.

Movement in Monopoly Scrabble — The car player played Game which scored 14 points. They moved their playing piece 14 spaces. The dog player played Board which was worth 10 points. They moved their playing piece ten spaces clockwise around the board.

Look at the space your token landed on. You will take an action corresponding to the space your token is currently on. See the Monopoly Scrabble Spaces section below for more details.

Play then passes to the player on your left.

Acquiring Property Cards

You can acquire Property Cards in two different ways.

First whenever you play a word that covers up one of the property spaces, you will take the corresponding Property Card. If another player current owns the card, you will take it from them.

Acquiring a property through playing a word in Monopoly Scrabble — The player that played “Winner” placed the I on the Utility Group space. They will take the corresponding Property Card as they now own it.

Otherwise you can acquire a Property Card from drawing a Chance/Community Chest card. When you draw one of these cards, you will take the corresponding Property Card.

Acquiring a Property Card through a Chance Card — The current player drew this Chance Card. The card lets them take the Orange Color Group Property Card.

Unlike normal Monopoly, you cannot purchase a property by landing on the corresponding space.

Monopoly Scrabble Spaces

When moving your token you will take an action based on what space that your token lands on. The action you will take when you land on each space is as follows:

Chance

When you land on a Chance space, you will take the top card from the Chance deck. Read what the card says and take the corresponding action.

Community Chest

Should you land on a Community Chest card, you will take the top Community Chest card. Read the card and take the corresponding action.

Free Parking

At all times there should be at least M500 on the Free Parking space. If not, the Banker should take M500 from the Bank and add it to the space.

Money is added to the Free Parking space whenever players buy tiles from the Bank, pay to replace a blank tile, and pay to get out of Jail.

When a player lands on Free Parking, they will take all of the money from the space and add it to their money. The Banker then adds a new M500 bill to the space.

Acquire cash from Free Parking in Monopoly Scrabble — The thimble player has landed on Free Parking. They will take all of the cash placed next to the space.

GO

Whenever a player passes the GO space, they will collect M2,000 from the Bank.

Jail

You can be sent to Jail either by landing on the Go to Jail space or by drawing a Chance/Community Chest card that forces you to go to Jail.

On your next turn you will pay M100 to the Free Parking space. You will then take your turn normally.

Get out of jail in Monopoly Scrabble — On their next turn the dog player has to pay M100 to get out of Jail.

Property Space

When you land on a property space, check to see if another player owns the property. If another player owns the property, you owe them rent equal to the amount printed on the space and Property Card.

Paying rent in Monopoly Scrabble — The top hat player landed on the Orange Color Group which was owned by another player. They owe the player M600 in rent.

If you own the property or no one owns it, you do nothing when you land on it.

You cannot purchase an unowned property by landing on it.

Bankruptcy

It is uncommon to go bankrupt in the game. If you run out of money though and owe money, you will be forced to sell your Property Cards. You can sell properties to the Bank for half of the amount printed beneath value on the card.

If you have sold all of your Property Cards and still don’t have enough money to pay your debts, you are eliminated from the game.

End of Game

Monopoly Scrabble can end once all of the tiles have been drawn from the tile bag. The game will either end when a player plays the last tile from their tile rack, or none of the players are able to play anymore words.

Players will look at their tile racks to see how many tiles they have left. Each player owes the Bank M100 for each tile that they were unable to play. If a player was able to play all of their tiles though, the rest of the players pay their money to the player that played all of their tiles.

Paying for unused letters — This player was unable to use three of their letters. Therefore they will have to pay M100 for each of the tiles.

Each player then tallies up their wealth. They will add up all of their money and the value of any Property Cards that they own. The player with the highest wealth wins the game.

Winning Monopoly Scrabble — Here are the properties and cash owned by the players at the end of the game. The players wealth are as follows: Top player – M3,400 in properties, M2,800 in cash; Second player – M3,000 in properties, M2,400 in cash; Third player – M2,000 in properties, M1,200 in cash; Bottom player – M1,400 in properties, M600 in cash. The top player has the most total wealth so they win the game.

Monopoly Scrabble FAQ

If you have any questions about how to play the game, leave a comment below on this post. I will try to answer any questions asked as best and as quickly as possible.

On a previous turn a word was played that covered up a property space? If I add to that word or play a new word off that word, do I get to take control of the corresponding property?

The official rules don’t directly address this situation. Based on two sections of the rules though, I believe only the first player to play tiles on the space gets to take the property.

First the rules say that you get to take the property when you cover up the corresponding spot on the board. Only the first player to play the tile on the space truly covers up the spot.

Second when the rules talk about premium spaces on the Scrabble board it says only the first player to cover up the space gets the bonus. I believe this should apply to the property spaces as well.

On top of these two factors I think it would be against the spirit of the game if you could steal a property just by adding to a word that was already played.

Components

Gameboard
5 Tile Racks
100 Letter Tiles
Tile Storage Bag
9 Tokens
24 Community Chest Cards
24 Chance Cards
10 Property Cards
60 M100 Bills
60 M500 Bills
Instructions

Year: 2023 | Publisher: Hasbro, Winning Moves Games

Genres: Economic, Family, Word

Ages: 8+ | Number of Players: 2-4 | Length of Game: 60 minutes

Difficulty: Light | Strategy: Light-Moderate | Luck: Moderate

Where to Purchase: Amazon, eBay Any purchases made through these links (including other products) help keep Geeky Hobbies running. Thank you for your support.

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Written By:

Eric Mortensen

Eric Mortensen is an owner and head writer on Geeky Hobbies since 2014. He is an avid board game player and collector with over 3,000 board and card games in his collection. Since 2014 he has written more than 1,100 board game how to play guides.

Kathy

Wednesday 27th of December 2023

Is the property color only awarded the first time a word covers that space? Or if another word is formed using that property color (from a previous word), is that property color awarded to the new word?

Saturday 30th of December 2023

I don't see this situation being directly addressed in the rules. Therefore it is going to come down to how you interpret the rules.

I personally would handle it where only the first player to place a tile on the square gets the property. I come to this conclusion based on two sections of the rules. First it says that you get the property when you cover up the corresponding square on the Scrabble board. Only the player who plays the first word on the square, truly "covers up" the space. Second in the premium squares section discussing scoring, it specifically says that only the first player to cover up the premium square gets the bonus. I think this would apply to the property spaces as well. Finally I don't think it would fit the spirit of the game that you could just steal a property by adding to a word already created. For example I don't think it would be fair that you could steal a property just by turning a word plural or adding a tile or two to it.

As it is not directly addressed in the rules though, I think you could ultimately handle it in the way that the players agree to. If all of the players agree to letting a player that adds to a word placed on a property square steal the property, I would say to play it that way.