BananagramsSplit, Peel, Dump, Bananas
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
The four calls mark the exact moments when tiles move between the bunch and every hand. Split opens play, Peel adds one tile all round, Dump lets one person trade a single tile for three, and Bananas stops the race to check the winning grid.
The short version
- Say Split once at the start so everyone flips their starting tiles simultaneously.
- Call Peel each time your hand is clear, giving one new tile to every player at the table.
- Use Dump on your own schedule to put one tile back and take three fresh ones.
- Shout Bananas to finish when too few tiles remain for another Peel and your grid is full.
A game begins with Split. Before anyone speaks, players draw their starting hands face down: 21 tiles each for 1 to 4 players, 15 tiles each for 5 to 6 players, or 11 tiles each for 7 to 8 players. Somebody calls Split, and everyone turns their starting tiles face up at the same instant to begin building.
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.
Rotten banana
If a checked grid contains a word the table will not accept, or a stray tile that connects to nothing, that player is out and their tiles go back into the bunch.
Whenever a player incorporates every letter in their hand into their connected grid, that player calls Peel. Every person at the table immediately takes one fresh tile from the bunch, including the person who made the call. Building continues without a pause.
You can say Dump at any point, as often as you wish, without waiting for anyone else. You return one difficult tile face down to the bunch and draw three fresh tiles in exchange. The trade increases your total tile count by two, but it clears an awkward letter that is stalling your layout.
The final call is Bananas. When the bunch holds fewer tiles than there are players, no further Peel can happen. The next person to play every tile calls Bananas, ending play. If the grid passes inspection, that person wins. An invalid word or disconnected tile makes it a Rotten banana, sending that player out of the game and their tiles back to the bunch.
The mistake to avoid
The mistake is to assume you must wait for a lull or take turns to call Dump. You may trade a tile at any moment during play, as many times as you need, provided you put one tile back and take three in return.
Questions that keep coming up
Does the person who calls Peel take a tile too?
Yes. Every player takes one fresh tile from the bunch when Peel is called, including the player who called it.
How many tiles do you draw when you Dump?
You put one tile back into the bunch face down and take three tiles in exchange, adding two tiles to your total hand.
What happens if someone calls Bananas with an illegal word?
That player is declared a Rotten banana and is out of the game. All of their tiles are returned to the bunch.