BananagramsThe first grid
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Build whatever connects your letters quickly, and treat that first layout as a draft. You are holding the largest collection of tiles you will have at one time, and no rule requires you to keep the words you make first.
The short version
- Take 21 tiles if playing with 1 to 4 people, 15 tiles for 5 to 6, or 11 tiles for 7 to 8.
- Break apart your grid freely whenever letters fail to connect.
- Count on vowels making up over 41 percent of the 144 total tiles.
- Remember that no blank tiles exist in the bunch.
Opening hands vary by table size. A game with 1 to 4 players starts with 21 tiles each. Games with 5 to 6 players give each person 15 tiles, and games with 7 to 8 players give out 11 tiles. Because there is no board, your opening arrangement is never permanent.
Straight from our own play notes
“Do not get fixated on the grid you have. If it is not working, rearrange it and start fresh mid-game.”
Do not get fixated on the grid you have. If it is not working, rearrange it and start fresh mid-game. Nothing is glued down, so breaking apart a long word or dismantling a corner to use difficult consonants is always allowed.
The 144 tiles include 60 vowels across A, E, I, O, and U, which makes up 41.7 percent of the entire bunch. High-frequency letters like E with 18 tiles, A with 13, and I with 12 give you flexibility to reconfigure words when letters fail to link cleanly.
Every letter from the alphabet is present, ranging from common letters down to J, K, Q, X, and Z with 2 tiles each. There are no blank tiles in the bunch. Plan your opening words knowing that every tile must stand for its printed letter.
The mistake to avoid
The mistake is to assume early words cannot be broken apart once placed. A grid remains a draft until the final tile lands, so pull letters out whenever a new arrangement works better.
Questions that keep coming up
How many tiles do I take at the start?
Take 21 tiles each for 1 to 4 players, 15 tiles each for 5 to 6 players, and 11 tiles each for 7 to 8 players.
Are there blank tiles to help start the grid?
No. The bunch holds 144 letter tiles across all 26 letters of the alphabet and contains no blank tiles.
Can I dismantle my opening words later?
Yes. If an arrangement is not working, rearrange it and start fresh at any point during play.