Literati Cheats and Strategies

Literati Cheats And Strategies

If you enjoy gathering a group of three other friends for a rousing game of Scrabble, then you will easily fall in love with an online computer version known as Literati. Available on a number of different websites -- such as Yahoo! Games -- Literati provides you with a Scrabble-like game board, an initial set of seven letter tiles, and the challenge to sift through the seemingly enormous lexicon in your brain. But just knowing a large number of words won't guarantee a victory; you need strategy to maximize your points and that's where this article comes in. We will provide you with a smattering of tips, hints, tricks and strategies that will make you a Literati god in no time.

Literati Tips

Tip #1: Mind Your Ps and Qs

You will notice that certain letters are more valuable than others. Whereas the majority of the tiles are a yellowish-orange color (worth only one point), there are a few select letters that are worth more, like P, W, and Q. While it may be tempting to use these letters every chance you get, it is in your best interest to use them when you are also creating a word with a bonus space, like those that provide double or triple word scores. Ideally, you want to place a Q, X, or Z (for example) tile on a double or triple letter score space, and combine it with double or triple word score. In this way, it is not out of the ordinary to get words that are valued at over 50, 80, or even 100 points, putting you well on the way to victory.

Tip #2: Creating Multiple Words

Single long words are great, but if one of the best Literati strategies is to create multiple words in the process of making one word, you should jump at the chance. You can make short words like "is", "or", and "at" while creating other words. An example of this would be if you are building a horizontal word that stacks on top of another horizontal word. Where they connect vertically can be one, two, or more extra words, giving you an extra little boost in the point category.

Tip #3: Maximizing Use Of Bonus Spaces

It is a bit of a waste to use the double word score space for a simple word like "tan" where you would only get 6 points (each of those three tiles is 1 point x 2 for double word score = 6). As mentioned above, this is where you would want to make use of letter tiles that offer more points. You also want to create the longest word possible when using these tiles. Furthermore, if you can use the double or triple word score bonus spaces in creating two words simultaneously (intersecting at the bonus space), then both words receive the bonus points. This Literati tip will easily improve your average score.

Tip #4: Prevent Your Opponent From Raking It In

Sometimes you have to sacrifice a few points in order to prevent your opponent from raking in too many. Leaving certain bonus spaces free presents your opponent with an opportunity to rake in a lot of points and put the game away. Although you want to get as many points as possible when using the double or triple word score spots, you also need to think about defence, and prevent your opponent from using them. In this way, when you create your words, make sure that it isn't too easy for the other player to access the lucrative bonus spots.

Tip #5: Vowels Are Key in Literati

As you know, every word in the English language requires at least one vowel. They are not necessarily hard to come by when you replenish your set of seven, but at the same time, you don't want to have a set of tiles in front of you that lacks a vowel. Try not to use all of your A's, E's, I's, O's, and U's in a single turn as you may need them for the next turn. This is especially true as you approach the end of the game as you may not be receiving any more vowels.

Tip #6: Literati Makes You Love That S

Easily the most valuable tile in the game is the letter "S". This is because a large number of words can be pluralized using "S", presenting you with an easy opportunity to create two words at once. In the picture above, you can see the word "rant". There is a good chance that the person who made the word "desks" created that word at the same time as pluralizing "rant" and making it "rants". This way, they get credit for both "desks" and "rants" by simply making good use of the letter "S".

Tip #7: Don't Get Stuck Holding Tiles

If at the game's conclusion you are still holding onto tiles, they take away from your overall score as negative points. You want to minimize this negation by ensuring that you are not holding onto high-value tiles like P, Q, and X at the end of the game. This could be the difference between winning and losing, especially for close games.