Scrabble tile values and distribution

An English-language set has 100 tiles: 98 letters and 2 blanks. Here is what each letter is worth and how many of each there are.

Letters by point value

Every letter

Useful facts

• The whole bag is worth 187 points before any premiums.
• 42 of the 98 letters are vowels (A, E, I, O, U). Y is worth 4 points and works as either.
• E is the most common tile, with 12 in the bag. J, K, Q, X and Z have only one each.
• There are only 4 S tiles. Each one can turn a word into a plural and hook a new word onto it, so they are some of the most valuable tiles in the game despite scoring 1 point.
• The blanks score nothing but are the most useful tiles of all. Strong players often save them for a 50-point bingo.

Tracking tiles

Club players often keep a tally of which tiles have been played. Near the end of the game this tells you exactly what is left in the bag and on your opponent's rack. Even at home it helps to know whether the Q, the Z, the blanks and the S tiles are still to come. For example, if the Q has not appeared and the bag is nearly empty, avoid opening up a triple-word square next to a U.

To work out end-of-game deductions, add up the values in the table above for the tiles left on each rack. Then enter them in a "tiles left" row on the score sheet.

Last reviewed: October 2026.