Wordle is a phenomenon, so much so that the New York Times purchased it from the original developer. If you’re worried about the NYT paywall or just want to return to an earlier classic, you’re in luck. Scrabble is back in browser form.
PlayScrabble.com is exactly what you think it is: a browser-based version of the word-building tile game. You can play against the computer, random online players, or friends. A dictionary helps you check accepted words, and the word finder tool gives you options based on parameters like starting and ending letters — if you’re a dirty cheater. Note that some features require you to sign up with your email or Facebook account, but you can still generally play as a guest.
Gameplay goes just as it would for the analog game. Players take turns laying out words, with a running timer for sake of keeping the match moving. Dragging and dropping letters is simple with a mouse or touch screen, and green and red outlines around your submissions tell you right away whether your words are valid or not, respectively.
While Scrabble isn’t a direct competitor to Wordle as is, the PlayScrabble site is cooking up “single-player word puzzles” in another tab. That certainly sounds more like a direct attack on Wordle. To be fair, there are plenty of other Wordle alternatives out there, like Squabble and the aptly named Free Wordle.
