BananagramsWhat counts as a word
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Proper nouns, abbreviations, and initialisms stay out of every grid. Plurals, verb endings, and comparatives are ordinary legal words that you can play anywhere in your layout.
The short version
- Agree on a chosen dictionary before turning over the first tile.
- Play regular plurals, verb endings, and comparatives whenever you need them.
- Keep all proper nouns, abbreviations, and initialisms out of your grid.
- Rebuild your entire private layout at any time to fix awkward letter clusters.
Words must read left to right or top to bottom, exactly like a crossword. Every tile in your layout has to connect to the grid and form a valid word in every direction it runs. Grids stay separate, so no tile ever crosses between two players.
Counts
- Words read left to right and top to bottom, the way a crossword reads.
- Every tile you hold has to touch the grid and belong to a word in both directions it runs.
- You may pull your own grid apart and rebuild it at any moment. It costs nothing and it is the most underused move in the game.
- Plurals, verb endings and comparatives are ordinary words. Play them.
Does not count
- Proper nouns stay out: names, places, brands.
- Abbreviations and initialisms stay out.
- Nothing crosses between two players. Every grid is private and separate.
The table must agree on a dictionary before anyone turns the first tile. Short two-letter words such as QI, ZA, JO, and AX are legal in word lists, but others like CH, EA, and ZO appear in Collins and not in the North American list. Settling the authority first avoids arguments later.
You can pull your entire grid apart and rebuild it at any moment. Rearranging costs nothing, yet it remains the most underused move in the game. When a new tile does not fit your current layout, breaking a word down to rebuild cleaner connections is completely valid.
A checked layout must hold up when challenged at the end of the game. If inspection reveals an unacceptable word or an isolated tile that connects to nothing, that player is declared a rotten banana. That person is out of the game and returns all their tiles to the bunch.
The mistake to avoid
The mistake is to place abbreviations, brand names, or stray tiles in your layout. An unaccepted word or a disconnected tile makes you a rotten banana, which puts you out of the game entirely and sends all your tiles back to the bunch.
Questions that keep coming up
Can I use two-letter words like QI and ZA?
Yes. Words such as QI, ZA, XI, and JO are legal plays, though tables should confirm their agreed dictionary list before play starts.
Are plurals and verb tenses allowed in the grid?
Yes. Plurals, verb endings, and comparatives count as ordinary words and are entirely legal to play.
Can I connect my tiles into another player's crossword?
No. Every grid is private and separate, so tiles never cross between players.