From Scattergories to Scrabble, games that utilize language skills bring people together with an element of healthy competition.
Gamification works fantastically in the office, solidifying team bonds while sharpening concentration and communication. This can be especially true for multinational companies expanding into international markets.
In the spirit of breaking ice and building team bonds, we’ve laid out 20 games that all revolve around letter building and wordplay.
So wait no longer, dive into our list!
What skills do letter games improve in the workplace?
Collaborative games are a practical way to break the ice between team members and kickstart fun conversations. They lay the foundations for a positive work atmosphere and solidifying team bonds.
Many leading companies and industry educators are harnessing the power of gamification in the workplace. Even Forbes sees gamification as the leading vehicle to motivate staff and improve the working environment.
Introduce these games in your next team-building session and sharpen those linguistic skills!
20 of the best letter games for adults
Here’s our compendium of 20 games that play with letters and words:
1. Consequences
Kicking off our list of letter games is a fun crowd-pleaser called Consequences. This one works best with groups of more than 4 people, and no materials are needed! Each player in the group is going to add a consecutive line to the group’s story. Sitting in a group, the first person writes a sentence on paper, folds and hides the message, then passes it to the next person.
You’ll need to think of some cool lines beforehand, and the amount of lines depends on the number of people. Let’s create 5 lines for a team of 5 people:
- A man’s name
- The word “met”, then a female name
- “He said…”
- “She said…”
- “And then…”
2. Wordwheel
Letter game masters will enjoy this one. Wordwheel is a vocabulary game that really gets your brain into gear. Wordwheel relies on quick thinking and seeking the jackpot word. You need to look up some 9-letter words beforehand. These words will be used inside your wordwheel.
How to Play:
Draw a wheel on the board that has 8 segments on the outside, and one circle in the middle for the 9th key letter. 2 teams need to create as many as possible using the middle letter and any of the others. Set a timer and see how many words your teams come up with. Remember: there is one 9-letter word that’s worth 5 points, so encourage your teams to find this one too!
3. Scrabble
Scrabble is a household classic that has brought people together for years. After building a word, countless people have scrambled to check their dictionary, and shout to their opponent “There’s no such word!” It’s a word-building game that comes with more than a handful of strategic play.
How to Play:
- 2 to 4 players set the board up
- Each player gets seven letter tiles.
- Take turns forming words on the board, building off existing words.
- Rack up points by placing words on bonus squares for extra scores!
Get your thinking-caps on and your dictionaries on standby for this classic letter game!
4. Dabble
Dabble is another great letter game that combines elements of Scrabble with crossword puzzles. 2 or more players compete to create five unique words. These words must be 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 letters long each, using 20 tiles. Easy to pick up, difficult to master!
How to Play:
- Each player receives 20 letter tiles
- Race to create a 2-letter, 3-letter, 4-letter, 5-letter and 6-letter word using your tiles.
- The first player to finish all five words wins the race, but then scores are counted depending on the value of each letter.
This one is fast, fun, and utterly addictive!
5. Upwords
In the same vein as Scrabble, Upwords takes word building up a level - quite literally! Scrabble generally encourages long-word forming, whereas Upwards keeps things small and sweet. Players stack letters over already-existing words to create something new. The letters you stack on top receive bonus points, and using all 7 tiles in one move scores even more!
This means you can start small and end big. You might be able to throw a long, powerful word down early, but if your opponent can add a letter, they’ll be reaping your rewards! Upwords puts a great spin on traditional word games.
6. Linkword
Here’s a letter game that has some great online worksheets to get teams started. This fast-paced brain teaser has teams thinking laterally. You might want to create teams for this one, as some examples can really get people scratching their heads.
Your teams will look at three words and have to decide on one word that connects all three. Common words are the aim of the game. Let’s say for example you show them the words “POINT,” “SAFETY,” and “CUSHION”. All three of these words can be connected with the word “PIN,” forming “pinpoint,” “safety pin,” and “pin cushion.” Try this one out with your teams.
7. Scattergories
This tried-and-tested language classic is enjoyed by millions around the world. From ESL classrooms to meeting warmup sessions, Scattergories is a great teambuilding activity that brings people together and gets the brain ticking.
To play, you need to first decide on one letter. Every answer to the categories you choose must begin with this chosen letter.
Let’s say for example you choose the letter “D.” Create 10 categories, and your teams must answer each one with a word starting with D.
The categories could be:
- A pet (dog / dalmatian)
- A country (Denmark / Dominican Republic)
- Something in the kitchen (donut / dishes)
- …
Continue your list up to 10 categories and use a timer for some list-building fun!
8. Word crush
There aren’t many people in the world who haven’t heard of the game Candy Crush. Word Crush is a video game crossover that uses a column-stacking system while challenging the player’s word-building skills.
Each person can play individually, or record high scores and go head-to-head with multiplayer. The game is available for Apple and Android, so download and share on a screen for a competitive, word-building challenge!
9. Boggle
The letter game Boggle has been around since the early 70s. It was designed by Hasbro and uses letters printed onto multiple dies. There are 3x3, 4x4, and 5x5 boards that make a game more or less challenging. This one works great for 4+ players.
All of the letter dice are placed into the square-ish grid, with a clear dome over the top. Every player gets a pen and pencil. The letters on the grid get scrambled, and each player gets three minutes to write as many words as they can. The key is, each letter must be touching vertically, horizontally, or diagonally in a chain. You can't skip or "jump" across letters. Try this one out with your teams today!
10. Apples to apples
The card game Apples To Apples provides an explosion of fun and quirky answers for work teams. It takes a little longer to set up and get to grips with, but gameplay is rich and rewarding. There’s a minimum of two players, and one “judge” is needed for each round, to create the best match. The judge has the final say, but their choice is subjective, so things stay light-hearted.
Once you’ve got your box delivered, here’s how to play:
- The Judge player draws an adjective card.
- Other players select a noun card from their hard, that they think best fits the descriptive adjective
- The judge chooses the funniest or most fitting card, with that player winning the round
- Collecting a set number of description cards wins the game.
Try out Apples To Apples for some seriously creative and hilarious outcomes. It’s never the same game twice!
11. Wordle
Another word game great for a motivational boost is Wordle. It can be played individually or with teams. Wordle is a letter-based guessing game, in which players need to guess a five-letter word within six attempts. Teams need to use letters of the alphabet to figure out what the chosen word is. Every guess needs to count!
There is usually a category to make things a little easier, like “films” “sports” or “animals.” A team chooses 5 letters from the alphabet, and the game host lets them know if they’re right or wrong.
After you guess a word, tile colors provide feedback:
- Green means the letter is correct and in the right spot.
- Yellow means the letter is in the word but in the wrong spot.
- Gray means the letter is not in the word at all.
Keep going for 6 total guesses and strive to find the Wordle of the game!
12. Ghost
Ghost is a quirky little letter-building game, where the whole objective is to not be the person who finishes a word. 2 to 4 players work best. Let’s say you have a team of 3. Each person takes a turn saying a letter to begin spelling out a longer word, (e.g. F-L-O-U-). If the next person adds a letter that creates a full word, like R to create FLOUR, that person loses.
If you lose a round, you are given one letter of the word GHOST (just like the basketball game HORSE). The first person to get all 5 letters G-H-O-S-T loses the game!
13. Pterodactyl
Here’s a quirky new game that has hilarious results. In “Pterodactyl” (which is hard enough to spell correctly), players completely cover their teeth with their lips. One player starts the game by saying “Pterodactyl” to someone else without showing their teeth. If neither player cracks up and laughs, the next player passes it on.
Twists can come into the game if you add a silly face, cross your eyes, or use a strange voice. If you make another player laugh and show their teeth, they’re out! Continue this speaking game until only one Pterodactyl champion remains!
14. Pass the bomb
Pass The Bomb is a fast-paced family word game that’s great for work teams too. The box contains two decks of cards, a dice and a ticking time bomb. The aim of the game is to create words with the letters shown on the cards. Most cards have only 3 letters.
Rolling the dice can land on “TICK,” “TICK TACK,” or a BOMB symbol.
- TICK means letters can’t be used at the start of a word.
- TICK TACK means your letters can be used anywhere within the word.
- The BOMB symbol means letters can’t be used at the end of the word.
So turn over your letter card, turn on the bomb, and start the game! Remember; pass the bomb, don’t throw it! (gunpowder not included)
15. Story cubes
Another worldwide classic game that has stood the test of time is “Story Cubes.” There are hundreds of variations of stories available, from simple daily scenarios to extravagant and epic fantasies.
The game is open-ended and revolves around a collection of cubes. Each side of a cube has an idea that continues a story, in a chain of events. Scour online resources for some templates, or create your own. Sometimes, the more random, the better!
16. Fortunately, unfortunately
Leading on from Story Cubes, “Fortunately, Unfortunately,” is a quirky conversation game that kicks things up a notch. This time, each sentence starts with “fortunately” and “unfortunately” for unexpected twists in the tale.
An example could be:
- Fortunately, the map and coordinates to the buried treasure trove were found
- Unfortunately, it was written in an ancient language no one understood
- Fortunately, our shipmate still had their translation from the future!
The story continues with added twists and turns, leading to some narrative surprises!
17. Wild west hangman
Here’s a spin-off of a game we’ve all played once in our lives. This online version of Hangman is themed with cowboys, crows, and gallows. A quickfire brain game can get teams talking and kickstart a team-building session.
The online version has categories to choose from, like “sports” and “sea creatures.” The number of letters in the chosen word is shown with dashes. Players guess any letter, and if correct, the letter is placed into its correct position. If unsuccessful, the letter is recorded on the board and crossed out. It only takes 6 wrong guesses for the cowboy to be hanged, so choose carefully!
18. Riff off
This word game is for all the music aficionados in the office. Riff Off is a popular game that plays on famous song lyrics. If you need a little help, search for the online lyrics to a really popular song. Tell your teammates one word from the song. We’ll make an example, the first lyric is “never.”
If your partners can’t guess it, give them another word (our next example is “give”) until someone shouts out the song. Hopefully, nobody gave up and you guessed ours; “Never Gonna Give You Up”!
19. Would you rather?
A game of “Would you rather?” is a great way to kickstart a teambuilding session. We’ve got loads of questions to get the party started, so print these out and use them in your next team meeting to bond teams together.
The premise is wonderfully simple. One person poses a question; would you rather A or B? The respondent can only choose one of the scenarios. Don’t be afraid to try out some silly questions too; “Would you rather have Dolly Parton’s or Billie Eilish’s wardrobe?”
20. Last letter, first letter
The last game on our list is called “Last letter, first letter” and it’s great for thinking outside the box. Start off by giving your group a category, like animals, and give them a starting word such as “elephant.” The next player needs to think of a word that starts with the last letter of your word, like “tiger.”
The game continues with each player taking turns, and no word can be repeated. A tip for experienced players; don’t choose plural words that end in S, or you’ll be fighting a lost battle!
These games forge even stronger bonds on a team retreat!
Letter games are a wonderful way of bringing people together and solidifying team bonds in the workplace. Did you know they’re even more powerful when used on a team-building retreat? Just imagine the experience of organizing these games in a one-of-a-kind location!
Here at Surf Office, organizing team retreats is what we do best.
Here’s what we offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
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Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Never underestimate the power of solidified team bonds. Integrate these letter games into an unforgettable company retreat, and watch teamwork in the office elevate!
Let us sort out the tricky logistics for you. Spaces are very limited, so get in touch now!
