Scoring

[cosmicsweety]

I'm just wondering how scoring is calculated? I found the only ultra-rare word on the board that was 8+ (patining), but mindings got a higher score. I've seen other times where longer, rarer words are worth less than a more common shorter word. I did read how it works on the home page, but what the scoring says vs. what seems to actually happen doesn't seem to make sense to me.

[Guest]

I would also like to know this. Bump

[Spike1007]

I posted on this topic a while back (I think after a server migration when old posts were lost), but I can't find it now.

Anyway, scoring is based on three things: word length, rarity, and bonus points for special letters. If n is word length, the base value of the word is n-1. This is multiplied by a "rareness" factor, which is 1 for "common" words, 1.3 for "wide", 1.6 for "rare" and 2 for "ultra-rare". Then points are added for special letters. Q is 4, Z is 3, X is 2, and J & K are 1. (You can only get bonus points for a particular letter once in the word, so two Qs is still only worth 4 points.) There used to be an artificial cap of 42 points on score before adding bonus points, so no word ever got above 45 points. (I don't know if there were any Qs in 22+ letter words at the time, or whether 45 was also an artificial cap.) These caps are gone now.

The rarity value is the wild card & is sometimes surprising. No idea where they get that... Stephen mentioned wanting to update those values, making them reflect how many times players managed to find each word vs. the number of times the board was played. This of course makes the value board dependent, and will account for how well hidden a word might be. Reaction to this news has been somewhat mixed.

[2cute]

I posted on this topic a while back (I think after a server migration when old posts were lost), but I can't find it now.

Anyway, scoring is based on three things: word length, rarity, and bonus points for special letters. If n is word length, the base value of the word is n-1. This is multiplied by a "rareness" factor, which is 1 for "common" words, 1.3 for "wide", 1.6 for "rare" and 2 for "ultra-rare". Then points are added for special letters. Q is 4, Z is 3, X is 2, and J & K are 1. (You can only get bonus points for a particular letter once in the word, so two Qs is still only worth 4 points.) There used to be an artificial cap of 42 points on score before adding bonus points, so no word ever got above 45 points. (I don't know if there were any Qs in 22+ letter words at the time, or whether 45 was also an artificial cap.) These caps are gone now.

The rarity value is the wild card & is sometimes surprising. No idea where they get that... Stephen mentioned wanting to update those values, making them reflect how many times players managed to find each word vs. the number of times the board was played. This of course makes the value board dependent, and will account for how well hidden a word might be. Reaction to this news has been somewhat mixed.

Thank you for explaining this. I was wondering the very same thing.

[duhmel]

Scoring algorithms are considered a state secret, never to be disclosed.

[bwt1213]

Scoring algorithms are considered a state secret, never to be disclosed.

The people playing this game are smart enough to figure out any scoring algorithm. And I am not making a joke.

[dannyb]

The scoring algorithm is controlled by Italian satellites and, Chinese thermostats. I know because I read it on the internet.

[2cute]

The scoring algorithm is controlled by Italian satellites and, Chinese thermostats. I know because I read it on the internet.

LOL

Good One!