Scrabble board squares explained: DL, TL, DW and TW
28 October 2026 · 6 min read
Look at a Scrabble board and you'll see squares stamped DL, TL, DW and TW, plus a star in the middle. They decide who wins close games. The same word can score 16 in one spot and 52 in another, and the only difference is where you put it.
What the abbreviations mean
| Square | Name | Effect | On the board | Usual colour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | Double letter score | Doubles that one tile's value | 24 | Light blue |
| TL | Triple letter score | Triples that one tile's value | 12 | Dark blue |
| DW | Double word score | Doubles the whole word | 17 | Pink |
| TW | Triple word score | Triples the whole word | 8 | Red |
The board is a 15 × 15 grid, so 225 squares. Of those, 61 are premium squares and the other 164 are plain. The 17 double word squares include the star in the centre, which counts as a DW for the first word of the game. Colours vary a little between editions, but the letters printed on the squares don't. The counts above match the layout described in the Wikipedia article on Scrabble.
How premium squares are scored
- Letter squares come first. Double or triple the tile on that square, add up the word, then apply any word squares.
- A premium square only counts on the turn a tile lands on it. Play through that tile later and it scores its face value.
- Word squares multiply together. Two DW squares in one play make it ×4, a DW and a TW make ×6, and two TW squares make ×9.
- A new tile on a premium square counts in every word it helps to form. Put an X (8 points) on a TL so it makes two words, and its 24 points count twice, 48 from one tile.
- A blank scores zero on a letter square, but a word square still multiplies the whole word.
- The 50-point bonus for using all seven tiles is added after the multipliers, so premium squares don't increase it.
Worked examples
ZEBRA is worth 16 points on its own: Z 10, E 1, B 3, R 1 and A 1. Put the Z on a DL and the Z becomes 20, so the word scores 26. If the same play also covers a DW, double that to 52.
Now a big one. Eight squares along an edge row run from a TW at one end, past a DL, to another TW. Fit an eight-letter word like ABSOLUTE across it with the O on the DL: 1 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 11, then ×3 ×3 = 99. That's rare in practice, since you'd need a word already on that row to build from, but it shows why players watch the edges.
Where the squares sit
The eight TW squares are in the four corners and at the middle of each edge. The DW squares run in diagonal lines from the corners towards the centre. On the fifth row the DW squares sit at the fifth and eleventh squares, which is exactly seven squares apart, so a seven-letter word laid between them scores ×4 before any bonus. The TL squares sit in a repeating pattern across the middle of the board, and the DL squares are spread around it in smaller groups.
Using the squares well
- Match tile to square. Your Z, X, J or Q belongs on a letter premium, ideally where it also sits in a second word. Short plays like ZA, XI and JO are made for this. There's a full list in the two-letter words guide.
- Check the lanes before you finish a turn. If your word ends one square short of a TW, you've just handed your opponent a triple.
- Save an S or a blank for a double-double or a TW lane. Hooking an S onto a word that reaches a word square can be worth far more than the S itself.
- Count before you commit. Two plays of the same length can be 20 points apart purely because of where they land.
- Stuck with a Q? The Q without U list gives you ways to play it onto a premium square.
Find the best play for your rack
Type your tiles into the Scrabble word finder and it lists every word you can make with its face-value score. Then it's up to you to find the square that multiplies it. For the numbers behind each tile, see the guide to Scrabble tile values.