By Lucky Felder and Haley Kim
While wondering what to do at a sleepover, Haley and I stumbled upon the game Bananagrams. Using the allotted number of letter tiles, the goal is to be the first to finish making your individual crossword, sort of like an unofficial, fast-paced version of scrabble. Though at first glance, it didn’t seem super ap(peel)ing—get it?— it has become a staple in our hangouts, much to our surprise. Here’s why:
Bananagrams proved to be a relaxing activity that we could play in the background while having a conversation or listening to music. At the same time, it was a good exercise for our brains, sharpening our vocabulary and making us feel somewhat productive. Most importantly though (because we love bragging rights), it provided exciting, healthy competition.
For those of you out there who always want to win, no matter how small the game, here’s our list of quick tips that will surely lead you to victory:
- When in doubt, switch it out—
Time is crucial in bananagrams, especially when you play with competitive friends. The rule is you can put one of your letters back into the tile pile in exchange for three new letters. So, if you’re stumped by that X or Z, we advise you to make the switch. It’s often helpful to get new letters anyways, because it opens up a new train of thought. Of course, this strategy won’t always work, so if your new letters are Q, K, and V, we had nothing to do with it!
- Throw out the Q if there isn’t a U—
Try to think of a word with a Q in it that doesn’t have a U—you can’t, can you? At least not off the top of your head. When you first flip over your letters and see a Q, take another scan to see if you have a U. If there isn’t, waste no time turning in the Q, so you can reassess your letters and get going on your crossword.
- Use your vowels wisely—
The worst possible way to lose in Banagrams is when you’re stuck with the gross consonants like B and V and you have no idea how to incorporate them into your crossword. So we advise you to use your vowels sparingly. Don’t use your vowels consecutively within one short word like “boot” or “beetle.” This makes it difficult to maximize the words you can make with your letters. Instead, the most effective method we found is spreading out your vowels and making long words!
We encourage you to try Bananagrams, especially if you’re someone who enjoys using flowery vocabulary or challenging your friends. No monkey business here—this game is way more fun than jumping on the bed!