These fake Scrabble words will leave you in STITCHES!

The time has finally arrived for another episode of the most hilarious, absurd, and roll-on-the-floor-laughing Scrabble phonies! From misspellings of countries that aren't even words, to metal bands and baseball players, this set of games truly has something for everyone, so don't miss it and prepare to laugh!

[@pacificOcean123]

I can see why Annette likes the bluffing/Poker aspect of Scrabble as shown with Andy's mind tactics of HOMMOG, HOMMOGS*, and then HOMMOGE.

[@BrettMKW]

SANDOVAL is what Squidward drew when he was trying to repel a sea bear.

[@pacificOcean123]

HAHA this is too good

[@mackmeller]

hahahaha

[@AOOA926]

Hahahahaha

[@davidg5506]

In 2007 I was playing a tournament in Seattle. On Day 1 I found myself down about 150 points halfway through a game, with a rack of ACEIRST and a floating R at 3rd position of a 3x3 line. I ended up playing CA(R)TIERS* for 149, and although my opponent held for a couple minutes, he eventually let it stand. Not only did I end up winning the game, I won a prize for highest scoring play of the day. After the game, a very young Rafi Stern kindly pointed out to me the valid play of ER(R)ATICS I had available 😭

[@Firefly256]

Wow, in my city you can't get high word award if it's a phoney

[@ronaldwayne7092]

SANDOVAL: a specific kind of dirt racetrack. AXESUITE: the group of axes carried by a professional axe thrower.

[@howardhughes2937]

When Jack Nicholson chops through the door in The Shining that's a real AXESUITE. Here's Johnny!

[@tvtxxtsalt9920]

It's interesting seeing how many of these phonies are actually valid in the Collin's dictionary. Words like HORNERS# and BELACES# seem passable, and in effect they are valid.

[@JorWat25]

Yeah, those are technically phonies, but it might just be that they didn't remember which words are CSW only.

[@mackmeller]

Ah, thanks for pointing that out, I probably should've checked that myself

[@alexlatham6836]

After playing a word like “AAT”, my reaction would be like: “Is this Dutch Scrabble?” For “LE” (a common mistake), I would be like: “Is this French Scrabble?”

[@Para20Site]

It’s not a Dutch word either though.

[@annayosh]

@@Para20Site It is the Dutch name for the Belgian town of Ath; however, that still doesn't make it valid as a (Dutch) scrabble word of course.

[@AlexDings]

For KNARR, it could be "is this German Scrabble?"

[@alexlatham6836]

For KNARR, it’s more like “Is this Swedish Scrabble?” I don’t think KNARR is a German word.

[@AlexDings]

@@alexlatham6836 it is, source: I play German Scrabble 😀

[@JorWat25]

KNARR might not be accepted, but could be, as it's a type of Viking ship. I only know about this because there's a card game from last year called Knarr.

[@TheBcoolGuy]

It is the Swedish word for creak, like creaking floorboards or a creaky door.

[@pjet8042]

SANDOVAL" makes me chuckle because I once challenged HIDALGO, thinking of Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo.

[@lovemathboy]

Lesotho is not pronounced how it appears! It's actually pronounced like "luh-soo-too"

[@mackmeller]

Ah apologies, thanks for pointing that out! I definitely knew that deep down, I think I got carried away with using the seemingly natural pronunciation of the misspelled LETHOSO*, and defaulted to staying phonetically consistent from there haha

[@Slaydrik]

I was gonna mention this if no one else did

[@77elite9]

Luh-soo-too? I've only ever heard of it as leh-soo-too or leh-soh-though

[@100beep5]

It would be fun to have some real words that look fake get thrown in here occasionally, just to keep us on our toes

[@mackmeller]

That's not a bad idea -- watch out next time! ;)

[@Firefly256]

Do you mean extremely weird words like AWDL or seemingly misspelled words like CALENDER?

[@LoganPosthumous]

starting out this video with the brilliant mindgame of HOMMOG and (HOMMOG)E (think I've got the notation right?) is spectacular, what an amazing bluff

[@mackmeller]

Absolutely, it's amazing that Andy still lost despite all that but it happens sometimes!

[@imperiallegionnaire8344]

an axe is another word for a guitar and a suite is a bunch of instrumental movements played together. So an axesuite would be a melody play exclusively on guitar or guitars.

[@pkobalt]

Guitar, bass guitar, and rhythm guitar?

[@mackmeller]

I like it!

[@EmmsterGD]

We should make a new dictionary just based off of all the phonies from these videos. The PHO24 dictionary

[@mackmeller]

Hahaha please do this!

[@Xadreco]

terrified of NG and TH becoming valid

[@EmmsterGD]

Thats crazy AF. I'll consume some VOUCININNI with my pet BOBETAH while compiling it

[@johnwilder4789]

This could be the next Scrabble Variant Vid: the only valid plays are phoneys that have been featured in Mack’s videos

[@cypmvi]

@@EmmsterGD It's not VOUCININNI* that has been mentioned in a previous phonies video from Mack. It's actually *VOUCINNINI* that has been mentioned Still, that sounds like a hilarious idea!

[@TimwiTerby]

When I saw AXESUITE I was imagining a professional lumberjack with his extensive suite of various axes for all the different types of trees that need felling.

[@glowstonelovepad9294]

18:16 I thought the game was going to end with the Six-Zero Rule at first.

[@Firefly256]

I specifically told myself WIENIE is different from HEINIE and FEIRIE, knowing one day I might make the mistake

[@elvenstein]

Pablo Sandoval, the Kung Fu Panda!

[@billynakamura48]

It’s almost certainly Pablo Sandoval, but not because of the Giants/California connection. Bruce is a Red Sox fan and the Red Sox signed Sandoval in 2015 free agency.

[@mackmeller]

Ah, that explains it!

[@Firefly256]

How do you find contents like these? Surely you aren't looking into random games hoping a game would have a phoney right?

[@jahonasnapkins]

15:12 i have to imagine the prospect of missing out on style points was a big factor here!

[@mackmeller]

For sure, and it often gives back enough counterplay to Tom (especially that E next to the TWS-DLS spot) that he doesn't risk challenging -- it's a pretty gutsy and impressive challenge by Tom to be honest, there's massive downside for him if he loses a turn on that board

[@lylecohen1638]

I would love to see a game where the penalty for mistakenly calling a phony is ramped up so that the incentive for playing convincing phonies would be much higher!

[@AmaranthRBY]

I still routinely spot GIEPA on my rack by instinct every time it's there... for some reason that's the one phony from your videos that I cannot unsee. Hopefully this video did not add any more

[@mackmeller]

Omg I honestly have the same problem... I think part of it is it actually appears as a good candidate move more often than the other phonies because (1) it's short and (2) it contains common but also somewhat clunky letters that you often want to dispose of. It's also particularly memorable, I think, because Tunnicliffe actually won that game after getting away with GIEPA*, whereas most of his other antics he still lost after despite saving some spread. Another one I've spotted on my rack a few times, both as a bingo and an extension, is GUMWHITE*.

[@ValkyRiver]

@@mackmeller I’ve also gotten away with OUTWIN in an NWL game once.

[@galoomba5559]

ESCAPEABLE and PINBALLERS are both in wiktionary. scrabble lexicons gotta catch up Edit: So are OVERWARN and OVERWALK

[@JorWat25]

KNARR, which I mentioned in another comment, is also in Wiktionary. Looking in the OED, WEINIE is listed as a variant of 'weenie', KNARR is listed as a variant or 'knorr' (A medieval type of ship of Northern Europe, having a single sail), LE is listed as variants of 'leave', 'lay', 'lion', 'lie', 'lee', 'li', 'lye', and 'lea' (the OED has a lot of really old spellings for words recorded...), AAT is listed as a variant of 'out', HORNERS is a plural of 'horner' (A worker in horn), BELACES is a form of the verb 'belace' (To border or adorn with lace), OVERWALK is a word (To walk too much or too far), and OVERWAYS is a plural of 'overway' (An upper or higher way). Fun extra, while TRISTITIA isn't in the OED, 'tristitiate' is, which means "To affect with sadness". And HOMMOG isn't there either, but 'hommogeable' is listed as a variant of 'homageable', "Bound or obliged to render homage". EDIT: HORNERS and BELACES are also in WIktionary, but as mentioned elsewhere, those are valid using CSW.

[@iwersonsch5131]

Only Nigel can anticipate a position where his opponent could win with an overdraw.

[@zaydrishad3712]

Video idea: scrabble with NO bonus squares. All standard rules apply and you can start wherever you want.

[@johnwilder4789]

WEINERS / WIENERS are both good, making *WEINIE very plausible. Also in addition to KNAR/KNUR/KNURR, there is KNARRY, making *KNARR an extremely difficult challenge. Lastly, *ESCAPEABLE is imminently plausible too. So many of those can be spelled both ways (BITABLE, BLAMABLE, CITABLE, CLOSABLE…). *PINBALLERS has to be my favorite though. Awesome stuff as usual.

[@annayosh]

Tristitia is a Latin word meaning 'sadness' - basically the noun going with tristis, which is the source of the English word trist. As such, not the unlikeliest of phoneys even if metal bands are not included (although tristity would be the more likely form if it were an English word).

[@KyleSzklenski]

Axesuite: a high quality room in a Vikings-only hotel.

[@AlexDings]

6:07 Josh was just going for _le content_

[@pacificOcean123]

That's why we love Josh. He knows we want the entertainment!

[@Aploplex]

Is there a reason you can’t challenge after drawing times from the bag? What’s to prevent someone from drawing tiles super quickly after playing a phony if the opponent is distracted for a bit? I know you can hold but don’t understand the complete rationale here

[@mackmeller]

Once someone draws new tiles and mixes them with their rack, it becomes murky if a play were to be challenged off the board since then you're trusting the player to return the correct tiles to the bag, and it's difficult to prove they're being honest if they've been shuffling the tiles. There is a provision to allow a "courtesy draw" of tiles after an extended hold to prevent abuse of the holding privilege, but when courtesy drawing tiles you have to keep them separate from the tiles you already have. And as for drawing super quickly, this is known as "fast-bagging" and is illegal. Specifically, you must wait 5 seconds to draw after hitting your clock to give your opponent adequate time to process your play and say hold if they desire.

[@Aploplex]

@@mackmeller I see, that makes sense. Thanks for the comment

[@galoomba5559]

WIENER WEINER WIENIE WEINIE* huh

[@Ian07_]

WEENIE also good

[@mackmeller]

FRANKFURTER FRANKFURT FRANKFORTER* FRANKFORT

[@BrettMKW]

@@mackmeller NORTHERNS SOUTHERNS WESTERNS EASTERNS*

[@mackmeller]

@@BrettMKW EASTED* WESTED* NORTHED* SOUTHED EASTMOST* WESTMOST NORTHMOST SOUTHMOST*

[@CyberchaoX]

I feel like it would be a ritual involving a specific set of movements performed using a number of different axes. Yeah, the other definition of "suite".

[@mackmeller]

That certainly works too -- the beauty of phonies, there are infinitely many ways to define them!

[@TheBcoolGuy]

What were they thinking?!

[@JANEWtyh]

Thomas and Charles Reinke? I KNOW those guys! They lead the weekly scrabble club here in Madison, WI!!!

[@mackmeller]

The real question isn't whether you know them, it's can you tell them apart! :)

[@JANEWtyh]

@@mackmeller They’re the most identical looking set of twins I’ve ever seen. They even part their hair the same way and wear the same style of clothing. It’s nearly impossible!

[@AOOA926]

24 minutes! Time flies when you are enjoying a video

[@SongNicole-vv6kz]

For CSW players, the phonies in this video that are valid in CSW so you don't need to check yourself: HORNERS, BELACES. The last 2 games are CSW games, so why did they lose a turn after losing a challenge?

[@TimwiTerby]

A “SANDOVAL” is obviously an elliptically-shaped dune or other formation in a desert or on a beach!

[@glowstonelovepad9294]

Apparently there's another tournament Scrabble player named Nigel other than Nigel Richards? (Nigel Peltier, who challenged Thomas Reinke's play of TRISTITIA)

[@mackmeller]

Yep! And he's also quite good, though not as good as Nigel Richards

[@sealeo5772]

The gall it takes to play a fake word and then call out your opponent trying ro pluralize it. "I know you're full of shit, because I am too."

[@TonyLeah]

I got two phonies past Matthew Tunnicliffe at the 2010 Nationals, one of them quite spectacular. It is annotated on cross-tables.

[@AlexeysCarcassonneChannel]

You say not to learn from your phoney videos but just the other day I got excited that I found *RYRONTA on my rack from your last year's phoney video. Fortunately, I did remember where I learned it before playing it so it didn't cost me a turn.

[@mackmeller]

Yikes... it's happened to me before too, glad you caught yourself!

[@Para20Site]

Isn’t OVERWARN related to the moral of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

[@peggymcbride311]

Fun! Thanks!

[@mackmeller]

Thanks for watching!

[@sophiegrey9576]

MORE SCRABBLE PHONIES YEEEAAAH

[@pacificOcean123]

Do you think the fact that Andy challenged off HOMMOGS* (possibly seeding doubt into Samuel's head of the legitimacy of the HOMMOG family of words) gave him the runway to try HOMMOGE?

[@mackmeller]

Possibly, on the other hand though it could backfire since if Sam thinks HOMMOG* is bogus after HOMMOGS* is challenged then HOMMOGE* looks even more implausible. Theoretically HOMMOG could still be an adjective/adverb that doesn't take an S but takes an E (like SWITH/SWITHE), though this is pretty rare -- in any case I presume this is what Sam more or less assumed (whether consciously or subconsciously) when deciding not to challenge HOMMOGE*. I think more it was just the psychological factor of having just gotten away with a phony and won a challenge that made Andy feel a bit more emboldened to attempt another one, which is something you see pretty often. It's tough after losing a challenge to not feel deflated and scared of losing yet another turn if you make a bad challenge.

[@justin_tang]

@@mackmeller It could also have plausibly been a loanword with an irregular plural, such as SIDH (plural SIDHE) or SEECATCH (plural SEECATCHIE).

[@Para20Site]

I mess up my 2s sometimes as my native language is Dutch and some invalid 2 letter combos are common Dutch words. AF is the biggest culprit as others like EB, EI and UI just look wrong in English.

[@MoldbugReads]

What is the software being used to display this?

[@mackmeller]

It's the board editor on woogles.io!

[@MoldbugReads]

@@mackmeller Thanks!

[@amirilan4435]

Man, the Marlin-Nigel game was painful.

[@cmyk8964]

“Pinballer” is attested in 1981, and that and its plural should have been in the dictionary all along

[@lordlivgon]

The last game reminds me of my game against Nigel when I played S(UP)ERTREE* instead of DESERTER (lol) as well as PAIRABLE*. However unlike Marlon I won the game (yes, despite playing 2 phonies against the best player of all time)

[@Joslinmeister]

Mack, I absolutely love these phony videos. But I sometimes wish I didn't expect or know to expect a phony. Could you make one of these videos where throw in some real words and make it a challenge to determine if the word is real or fake? Thanks!

[@mackmeller]

Yeah this is a great idea, I'll definitely throw a few real words in next time - thanks!

[@amirilan4435]

Actually this video reminds me of the CSI episode about scrabble (trying not to spoiler if you did not watch) CSI season 4 episode 19 "Bad Words" Could be a cool video idea to react to this one, even though Scrabble is not the most dominant feature in this episode haha

[@mackmeller]

Ah cool I've never seen it but I do like true crime, I'll have to check it out sometime!

[@ryanlind5239]

22:55 two phonies in a row is pretty funny, but once you're at the fourth one it's just kinda painful to watch.

[@mackmeller]

Yeah for sure, gotta feel for Marlon there

[@AOOA926]

Bro Lethoso isn’t even a country it’s: Lesotho (pronounced less-oo-too)

[@cmyk8964]

Interesting they both let L(E)* go and skipped their turn with a single I on their rack, when (LE)I would end the game with a clear rack

[@thomascorey7284]

i would figure an axesuite is a cursed hotel room where a murder happened or something like that

[@mackmeller]

It certainly could be! That's the beauty of phonies, they can literally be defined infinitely many ways haha

[@glowstonelovepad9294]

No, it would leave you in STICTHES. (bricth reference)

[@mackmeller]

Hahaha

[@harryzheng1165]

Can you do a video on real words that appeared so implausible that they got incorrectly challenged?

[@mackmeller]

That's a good idea!

[@noahkalus8231]

haha someone played sandoval i played magglio once and it stayed on

[@mackmeller]

Oh wow that's hilarious! Didn't you play EEPHUS* once too or was that someone else?

[@noahkalus8231]

@@mackmeller I did actually play that once yeah didn't stay on

[@lylecohen1638]

6:55DOULA TITTY

[@orager1]

Another phony video! My first video I watched of yours was a phony video so this brings back quite some memories!

[@mackmeller]

Yeah definitely overdue, there will be more soon -- appreciate all your support!

[@thatorange08]

slightly unrelated, but can someone explain to me why BANDAID is good but BANDAIDS isn't?

[@mackmeller]

Apparently BANDAID is just an adjective meaning "providing superficial relief." Not much of an explanation, it's a fairly famous bizarre aspect of the Scrabble dictionary (of which there are many)

[@usernameusername4037]

16:25 wtf casual unmentioned triple triple in that game (unless it was just an extension of INVITE)

[@usernameusername4037]

ok i found the game and it was indeed just an extension :(

[@JDHinten]

I disagree with your assessment that HORNERS# isn't that bad of a phony. RESHORN* would have been much more believable.

[@ohtani2024]

Marlon is overkilled