BananagramsHow to play in five minutes
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
With 4 players, each person draws 21 tiles face down from the bunch. One person calls Split, everyone turns their tiles face up at the same moment, and each player builds their own connecting crossword grid as fast as possible.
The short version
- Draw 21 tiles each face down and call Split to start racing simultaneously.
- Call Peel when your hand is empty so everyone takes 1 tile from the bunch.
- Say Dump to return 1 unwanted tile to the bunch and take 3 fresh tiles.
- Call Bananas when the bunch holds fewer tiles than players and your hand is empty.
There are no turns. Everyone plays at the same time on their own separate grid. Your words must read left to right or top to bottom, exactly like a crossword. Plurals, verb endings, and comparatives are valid words. Proper nouns, abbreviations, and initialisms are not allowed. You can pull your grid apart and rebuild it anytime.
SSplit
once, at the start
Everyone takes their tiles face down and turns them over together. Nobody peeks early.
PPeel
whenever someone empties their hand
The player who has used every tile says it out loud, and then every player takes one fresh tile from the bunch. Yes, including the player who just got clear.
DDump
any time, as often as you like
Put one tile you cannot use back in the bunch face down and take three in its place. Your hand grows by two, which is the whole cost of the move.
BBananas
once, and it ends the game
When the bunch holds fewer tiles than there are players, the next player to use every tile calls it and wins, provided the grid survives being checked.
| Players at the table | Tiles each on Split |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | 21 |
| 5–6 | 15 |
| 7–8 | 11 |
When you use your last tile in your grid, call Peel out loud. Every player at the table, including you, must immediately take 1 new tile from the bunch. If you get stuck with an awkward letter, say Dump, return that 1 tile face down to the bunch, and draw 3 replacement tiles. You can Dump as often as you want.
The game ends when the bunch holds fewer tiles than there are players. At that point, no further Peel is possible. The first player to use all their tiles calls Bananas. The other players inspect that person's grid. If every word is valid and connected, that player wins. If any word is rejected or a tile is disconnected, they become a rotten banana and are out.
The mistake to avoid
The mistake is to keep playing after someone calls Peel without drawing a tile. Whenever Peel is called, every single player at the table must take 1 fresh tile from the bunch, including the person who made the call.
Questions that keep coming up
How many tiles do we start with?
With 1 to 4 players, each person starts with 21 tiles. With 5 to 6 players, take 15 tiles each. With 7 to 8 players, take 11 tiles each.
Can I change my grid once letters are placed?
Yes. You can pull apart and rearrange your own grid at any moment during the game. It costs nothing to rebuild your words.
What happens if someone calls Bananas with an invalid word?
That player is called a rotten banana and is out of the game. All of their tiles are returned face down to the bunch, and the remaining players continue playing.