Beginners
In order to get a good start with competitive word games, there are several word lists that beginners would be advised to learn, and Hoot is a tool that can help with that. The Beginners list in Predefined Lists has some of the most basic studies, which can also be accessed elsewhere in the program.
- Study 2-letter words. There are only about 100 words to learn and you need to know most of them.
- 2-letter hooks. Some people advise learning 3 letter words that can be formed by adding a letter to a two letter word. Those are called hooks. You can see the list by pressing Show Hooks. The display will show all the letters that can be added to the front on the left, and all the letters that can be added to the back on the right. This is a common format for displaying words with hooks.
- 3-letter QZJXCV. Learning the three letter words with high value tiles will avoid frustration when you get stuck with one of them. They are big points if you can play them, and a big point deduction if you can't. Professional advise to particularly learn the words with Q, Z, J, and X, but I also advice learning the C and V words. You'll notice that there are no two-letter words with C or V.
- Q Not U. Knowing what words you can play when you have a Q without a U in sight will save some time. There aren't that many of them but they aren't common words.
- QZJX (4 letters). Next, you might want to learn the rest of the Q, Z, J, and X four letter words.
- 3-letter words. Many people put this closer to the top of the list, so you might want to study these before very long.
- Vowel Heavy. Among the two, three, and four letter words, pay particular attention to the words with a lot of vowels.
- Consonant Dumps. Likewise, notice what words have lots of consonants. In Scrabble, Y is not considered a vowel.
- Then there's all the four letter words.