What popular board game was originally called Lexiko?

Scrabble, the beloved word game developed by Alfred Mosher Butts, did not always have the name used today.

When Butts, an architect, developed the game in the late 1930s, he called it Lexiko, which is considered the precursor to Scrabble. The gaming world was very different in the early 20th century, and there were very few word games on the market. Butt was a fan of the game anagrams and, in playing, believed that a version where the more common letters in the English language were present in the game would make for a better gaming experience.

A few changes were made to Lexiko, transforming it into Scrabble. However, before arriving at Scrabble as a name, Butts had also tried out Criss-Cross Words.

How many Scrabble sets have been sold?

Since its release to the market, producers estimate that around 150 million sets have been sold around the world, with the game available in thirty languages. The Telegraph, the British newspaper, reported in 2008 on Scrabble’s 60th anniversary, more than half—53 percent— of British households owned a copy of the beloved game.

Scrabble, as mentioned above, was one of the first games of its kind, and since its release, it has inspired dozens of word-based games, including Bananagrams, Puzzlage, Quiddler, Scribbage, Tapple, and WordSpot. These games are great for young learners as they can test players to expand their vocabulary and practice their spelling.