Skip to content

Words with Friends 2 Lightning Rounds Guide

Lightning Round - May the fastest team win!

Play Words with Friends 2 Lightning Rounds Better

Lightning Rounds in Words with Friends 2 is a team-based game. You win when your team scores 750 points first.

I love to play Words With Friends 2 Lightning Rounds. I am going to explain the strategies I have learned so you can score more points and win more often.

Words With Friends 2 Word Game
Words With Friends 2 Word Game
Developer: Zynga
Price: Free

Avoid Playing Defensively in Lightning Rounds

Playing defensively in Lightning Rounds is a bad idea. Play too many short words, and it is much harder to think of a word to play.

Avoid Staying on the Board for Long

You do not want to be stuck on one screen for too long. The goal is to play a word fast and move on. But if the team is playing too defensively you will have to think longer about what to do next.

Play Longer Words

Unless you are an expert and have all the short words memorized things will get confusing. Getting stuck in this situation is why it is important to play long words.

Playing long words allows opportunities to play future words. You want to help the team out by doing this often.

Words with Friends 2 Lightning Rounds Game Board.
Here is a lightning rounds game board.

Use Bonus Tiles

Use Bonus Tiles Often

You also want to use bonus tiles as much you can. By using Triple Word Score spaces and the right letters, I have scored over 100 points in one move!

If you and your team both play bonus tiles often, you will all win more games.

Set up Team Members

You want the team to use bonus tiles frequently. Setting up your teammates to score with bonus tiles is a huge priority. Play long and open words.

You want your teammates to have opportunities to play high scoring words.

Words with Friends 2 Lightning Bonus Tiles
These are the bonus tiles in the game.

Play as Fast as You Can in Lightning Rounds

Lightning Rounds Is About Playing Fast!

You want to play fast in Lightning Rounds. You do not want to stall on one board for too long. It is better to play a word then to spend too much time thinking of one.

It is possible your teammates have a much better chance of scoring big than you. If you are on a very confusing game board and have no words to play swap or skip your turn.

Play Short Words When in the Lead

If your team has a huge lead play a bunch of short words quickly. This tactic works when your team has a lead of over 100 points.

Use Suffixes and Prefixes While Playing Lightning Rounds

Add on to Existing Words

Remember all the ways to add on suffixes and prefixes to words. Because you will get points for the original word and your letters. If your letters land on a bonus tile, you get even more points!

There are also some words that are two words combined. Knowing these words are also a way to make long words and score points.

Letter Value Is Important

Keep in mind that some letters are worth more points. Because scoring the most points involves using some of these letters.

Example of a High Scoring Word

A great word that is easy for me to remember is zax. Get this word on a triple letter or a triple word tile, and you are scoring many points!

Words with Friends Letter Scores

Letter ScoreLetters
0Blank Tile
1 PointA E I O R S T
2 PointsD L N U
3 PointsG H Y
4 PointsB C F M P W
5 PointsK V
8 PointsX
10 PointsJ Q Z
Data from thewordfinder.

The ENABLE Dictionary

The Words with Friends 2 dictionary uses the ENABLE dictionary with some changes. From what I can see they removed the mean and naughty words and added some modern words to it.

How to Use Blank Tiles

Use Blank Tiles Carefully

It is important to use blank tiles in a helpful way. Blank tiles are worth zero points. Playing a blank tile on a double or triple letter tile does not score any points.

Use Blank Tiles to Make Words Fast

Lightning rounds are about being fast. If I don’t see any word that looks good, sometimes I make whatever word comes to mind with a blank tile and move on.

Lightning rounds are too fast to wait for the perfect opportunity. I wouldn’t hold a blank tile for more than one or two turns.

Use Blank Tiles to Score Many Points

When used to reach a double or triple word tile black tiles can score many points. Using blank tiles to position high scoring words into good places is a great strategy.

Lightning Rounds Strategy Overview

  1. Avoid playing defensively
  2. Use long words.
  3. Play towards bonus tiles
  4. Use bonus tiles as much as possible.
  5. Play high scoring letters often.
  6. Use blank tiles strategically.