Word FRENZY tested my reflexes which I thought was cool. By just playing the game I learned many new words.

Madi, Punahou School, Grade 7, Honolulu, HI

As Madi, a 7th grader at Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii, suggests, Word FRENZY is a fast-action, energetic word association card game where speed and fast hands are as important as vocabulary.

We have created a video animation that's fun to watch and explains how to play. Click Here to watch.

If you prefer, here’s a quick, basic description of how to play Word FRENZY.

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SET UP

Pass out a score sheet to all players. Place one less FRENZY Prize then the number of people playing in the center of the table. If eight players are playing, use all six prizes. Two players will miss out on a prize each round.

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CATEGORY CARDS

Have a player draw a category card and choose a category. A list of four letter words that relate to each category is given to help players get ideas of possible words to search for. It is helpful to read some examples aloud and have the category card available for players to look at if they are have difficulty thinking of words.

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PASS THE CARDS

The dealer passes out 5 cards to every player. Though the rules state that players should not look at their cards until play begins it may be helpful to allow beginners and younger players to preview their cards to get some word ideas.

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GO!

When the dealer says "GO!" everyone may look at their cards. Pass to the player on your left. Draw from the discard pile of the player on your right. Players should pass cards one at a time, discarding before they draw. Players should not have more then five cards in their hand at any time.

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FRENZY PRIZES

Always watch the FRENZY Prizes! The first player to get four letter cards that spell a four letter word relating to the category may grab a FRENZY Prize. That's the signal for all other players to stop looking for letters and just try to grab a prize. But there aren't enough to go around so someone will miss out. Think of musical chairs. Are you quick enough to grab one?

Important: Only one player needs to have a word before the grabbing frenzy starts.

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THE ROUND ENDS

After all the prizes have been grabbed, the round ends.

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SCORING

Only the player getting the word and grabbing the first prize and the player (or two players if 8 are playing) who miss grabbing a prize will score.

The player who got the word earns points. Words have different point values based on the letters used. Write the word and the word points in the Word Score.

The player(s) who misses the prize loses points by writing a letter of "FRENZY" in the Prize Score. Each blank space in the Prize Score is worth 10 points. Every time a player misses a prize and writes a letter in their Prize Score they lose 10 points.

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WINNING

Word FRENZY ends when one player spells FRENZY in the Prize Score, similar to the basketball game ‘Horse’ or 'hangman. Total your Prize Score with your Word Score. The player with the highest score wins.

That's all there is to it. It's wild and crazy. Everyone frantically passing cards and then grabbing for a prize. There's no other game like Word FRENZY!