A New Scrabble Dictionary

About a week or so ago I bought a new dictionary for our games of Scrabble. Not just any dictionary, mind you, it was the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (the newly revised and updated 4th edition 2006). It was certainly time to upgrade as prior to this we'd been using the Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary - 1977 edition.

The thing about this edition of the Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary (OSPD) is that Hasbro, Scrabble's parent company, have removed all offensive words, ethnic epithets and racially derogatory terms. In fact, they did so from the 3rd edition of the OSPD after the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) raised concerns about the offensive words with Hasbro.

This is what it says in the preface of my 4th edition:

It is the intention of the makers of SCRABBLE crossword games that they be enjoyed by children and adults alike. With this consideration in mind, words likely to offend players of the game have been omitted from this edition. The words omitted are those that would qualify for a warning usage note on the basis of standards applied in other Merriam-Webster dictionaries.

If you are interested in what words were expunged from the 3rd and later editions of the OSPD then check out the list below. Regardless of the move by Hasbro, as far as I know, the following are all still legal words for use in the majority of Scrabble clubs and international tournaments.

ABO ABOS ARSE ASSHOLE ASSHOLES BADASS BADASSES BADASSED BALLSY BALLSIER BALLSIEST BAZOOMS BLOWJOB BLOWJOBS BOCHE BOCHES BOOBIE BUCKRA BUCKRAS BUBBY BUBBIES BULLSHIT BULLSHITS BULLSHITTED BULLSHITTING COLOREDS COMSYMP COMSYMPS CRAPPER CRAPPERS CUNT CUNTS DAGO DAGOES DAGOS DARKEY DARKEYS DARKIE DARKY DARKIES DICKED DICKING DIKEY DYKEY FAGGOTRY FAGGOTRIES FAGGOTY FAGGY FART FARTED FARTING FARTS FATSO FATSOES FATSOS FRIG FRIGGED FRIGGING FRIGS FUCK FUCKED FUCKING FUCKS FUCKER FUCKERS FUCKUP FUCKUPS GANGBANG GANGBANGS GOY GOYIM GOYS GOYISH GRINGO GRINGOS HAOLE HAOLES HEBE HEBES HONKEY HONKEYS HONKIE HONKY HONKIES HUNKIES JESUIT JESUITS JESUITIC JESUITRIES JESUITRY JEW JEWED JEWING JEWS JIGABOO JIGABOOS JISM JISMS KIKE KIKES LEZ LEZZES LEZZIE LEZZIES LEZZY LIBBER LIBBERS MERDE MERDES MICK MICKS NANCE NANCES NANCY NANCIES NIGGER NIGGERS NITCHIE NITCHIES NOOKY NOOKIES OFAY OFAYS PAPIST PAPISTS PAPISTIC PAPISTRY PAPISTRIES PEED PEEING PISS PISSED PISSANT PISSANTS PISSES PISSING PISSER PISSERS POM POMS POMMIE POMMIES POMMY POOFS POOFTAH POOFTAHS POOFTER POOFTERS POOFY POOVE POOVES POPERY POPERIES POPISH POPISHLY REDNECK REDNECKS REDSKIN REDSKINS SHEENEY SHEENEYS SHEENIE SHEENIES SHEGETZ SHKOTZIM SHICKSA SHICKSAS SHIKSA SHIKSAS SHIKSE SHIKSES SHIT SHAT SHITS SHITTED SHITTING SHITHEAD SHITHEADS SHITTY SHITTIER SHITTIEST SKIMO SKIMOS SPIC SPICS SPICK SPICKS SPIK SPIKS SQUAW SQUAWS TOMMED TOMMING TURD TURDS TWAT TWATS WETBACK WETBACKS WHITEYS WHITIES WOG WOGS WOP WOPS YID YIDS