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ADD ’EM UP!

WORD MATH . . . IT’S MORE FUN THAN IT SOUNDS.

PREPARATION

Draw a chart on a piece of paper with all of the letters of the alphabet corresponding to a number from 1 to 26 (A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on to Z=26), and place it on the table so all players can see it.

OBJECTIVE

Players attempt to come up with more words than everyone else in each round!

GAME TIME

Player 1 goes first and picks whether the challenge will be 3-, 4-, or 5-letter words. Player 2 then picks one letter which must be used as the first letter of each word. Player 3 then decides on a ten-point range which must be achieved.

NOTE: Three-letter words should be within 10–60 points. Four-letter words should be within 20–75 points. Five-letter words should be within 30–90 points.

Player 1 sets a 5-minute timer, and all at once, each player must try to come up with as many words as possible that meet the chosen criteria (length, starting letter, and point range). When time is up, players tally their points, and the next round begins with Player 2 selecting the number of letters in the words, Player 3 choosing a starting letter, and Player 4 selecting a specific 10-point range. The round after that, Player 3 selects the number of letters in the word, Player 4 chooses a starting letter, and so on.

SCORING

Regardless of the length of each word, players earn one point per word that meets all three criteria. The number of correct words players come up with is the number of points they receive for that round.

EXAMPLE

Let’s say Player 1 picks five-letter words; Player 2 says the letter C must be the first letter; Player 3 says the points should be between 41 and 50. (You can choose any 10-point range, but we advise that you stay within the guidelines listed above according to the total number of letters being used.) Once the timer starts, every player tries to come up with as many five-letter words as possible that begin with the letter C that will be worth between 41 and 50 points. (The word crush has a total of 69 points, so it would not make the list: C=3, R=18, U=21, S=19, and H=8. The word clamp, however, has a total of 45 points (C=3, L=12, A=1, M=13, and P=16), so the player would receive a point for that word.