(This page is being revised with contributions from [[Nick Ball]].)
The '''SOWPODS''' lexicon, more commonly now referred to
as '''Collins''' or '''Collins Scrabble Words''' ('''CSW'''), is a
word list published in 2007 by Collins and used in most
countries as the SCRABBLE® lexicon.
In January 2010, the NASPA [[Advisory Board]] authorized
the creation of a separate
[[SOWPODS rating system]] for NASPA-sanctioned games played using the SOWPODS lexicon.
[[Image:CSW countries.png|400px|center|alt Map of the CSW world]]
This map shows countries according to the lexicon(s) they use.
Currently, 1 country uses TWL (red: Mexico), 2 use both (blue: Canada, Israel,
Thailand and the United States), and 45 use CSW (green).
Its The name “SOWPODS” was coined as an anagram of "OSW OSPD",
the names of the two lexicons (Official Scrabble Words
and the Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary) that were
[[WESPA]] Dictionary Committee; comments concerning
the list should be directed to the
[[NASPA-WESPA Liaison International Committee]].
The SOWPODS word list contains all words found in [[OTCWL]],
as well as a large number of other English words from
around the world.
In January 2010The purpose of these webpages is to provide informative and, hopefully, interesting information to those North American tournament and club players who are curious about trying out the CSW game. They do not, therefore, aim to introduce Scrabble play as a whole, but those parts of it that change if one plays CSW. Thus, we start with how the game differs from TWL, introduce the most useful extra words to know, address some commonly asked questions and concerns, then describe the current CSW scene as it is evolving in North America. The sections below are in order, but each can be read on its own. * How is the game different?* How many more words are there, and what would I need to learn?* Are all the NASPA [[Advisory Board]] authorizedwords obscure, obsolete, foreign, etc.?* How often is the list updated?* What are the creation of a downsides?* CSW tournaments* CSW ratings* CSW links* Try it! Comments concerning this page may be directed to [[SOWPODS rating systemNick Ball]] for NASPA-sanctioned games played using the SOWPODS lexicon.