5,000 New Words Added to Merriam-webster's Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, Including 'GEOCACHE,' the First Playable Fan-Voted Word

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 6, under license from Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), Merriam-Webster, America's leading language reference publisher, will release the Fifth Edition of The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary, marking the dictionary's first major update in nearly a decade. More than 5,000 new words will be added to the dictionary making them officially playable in the game, including GEOCACHE, a word chosen by fans in the SCRABBLE Word Showdown earlier this year.  Players in the United States and Canada will now be able to rack up points with GEOCACHE and other words that have entered language recently, including: BEATBOX, CHILLAX, FRENEMY, HASHTAG, JOYPAD, MIXTAPE, MOJITO, PONZU, SELFIE, SOJU, SUDOKU, TEXTER, VODCAST, VLOG, and YUZU.

"Language is constantly evolving and new words are added to Merriam-Webster dictionaries on an ongoing basis," explains Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster.  "Now thousands of those words can officially be played on the SCRABBLE game board, as long as they meet the SCRABBLE game's criteria for length and styling." 

"The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary now includes favorite words from the past decade, making game play even more entertaining and relevant," adds Jonathan Berkowitz, Vice President of Global Brand Strategy & Marketing at Hasbro. "We're also thrilled to add GEOCACHE, winner of our SCRABBLE Word Showdown game earlier this year, and the first fan-voted word playable in the game." 

Entries in the new Fifth Edition feature a brief definition, a part-of-speech label, and inflected forms for fast, easy word validation. The new dictionary is endorsed by the North American SCRABBLE Players Association (NASPA) for recreational and school use, and the new words from the Fifth Edition will be sanctioned for use in official club and tournament play on December 1, 2014.   

"With thousands of new words, this edition will boost scores for players of all levels," says John Chew, Co-President of NASPA.  "Tell your opponent how your letters make you feel with AIYEE, MEH, OOF, or YESSIREE, or show off your GAMEPLAY by scoring 401 points for QUINZHEE!"

Words are inducted into The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary if they meet specific rules. Words inducted must be found in a standard dictionary and cannot be abbreviations, capitalized words, or words containing hyphens or apostrophes.  All words must also be between 2 – 8 letters in length.

Merriam-Webster's Fifth Edition of The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary will be available in paperback, hardcover, and large print formats in the United States and Canada wherever books are sold beginning August 6, 2014.  Digital versions of the dictionary will be available for iOS, Android, and Kindle later this month. The dictionary will also be available to play later this year in the digital versions of the SCRABBLE game from Electronic Arts, available on Facebook, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Android devices.

SCRABBLE is a trademark of Hasbro in the US and Canada only.

Merriam-Webster Inc.  For more than 150 years, in print and now in digital media, Merriam-Webster has been America's leading and most-trusted provider of language information. Each month, our Web sites and apps offer guidance to tens of millions of visitors. In print, our publications include Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary (among the best-selling books in American history) and newly published dictionaries for English-language learners. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of professional dictionary editors and writers in America, and one of the largest in the world.

For more information, visit www.Merriam-Webster.com and follow @MerriamWebster and @PeterSokolowski on Twitter.

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company's world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP.  From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 territories around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.

CONTACT:
Meghan Lunghi, Director of Marketing
Merriam-Webster Inc.
Phone: (413) 734-3134 ext. 8152
E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Merriam-Webster Inc.