Bananagrams Dictionary: Find the Right (and Valid) Words

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Bananagrams might be a game meant for any and all players, but that doesn’t mean it lacks expert design. Each facet of the game was developed with the goal of creating a fun but also balanced experience for everyone. Part of this involves having a proper list of Bananagrams words. There is no official Bananagrams dictionary available. Even so, there are rules to guide you toward what words are acceptable to play.
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Kids Rules for Bananagrams Words 

Knowing which Bananagrams dictionary is appropriate is a lot like knowing which dictionary is best for playing Scrabble. Your choice depends on your level of play and who you are playing with. This is especially important when playing with young children.

While not an official rule, it might be best to limit what words young children playing together can use. If they are really young, you might consider choosing a size limit for the words. If they are familiar enough with a lot of words, then a size limit doesn’t matter.

The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary is typically the best option for kids. This dictionary was made for the purpose of being used with a game. Using it with Bananagrams wouldn’t be much different than its original purpose with Scrabble. Plus, if the kids playing Bananagrams already play Scrabble Junior, this dictionary will be familiar to them.

Typical Bananagrams Dictionary Rules

Deciding on Bananagrams word rules for average or casual players is similar to picking rules for children. The only real difference is that the inclusion of any word in the chosen dictionary shouldn’t be a problem.

Two definite rules regarding Bananagrams acceptable words are: 

  • Proper nouns cannot be used.

  • Any available dictionary will work for the game. 

This means if you use a quality dictionary that everyone is familiar with, you're good to go. Just make sure to avoid playing proper nouns. And while it’s not strictly stated in the rules, it is best to avoid slang, offensive terms and acronyms. To make things clear, it’s better to stress that if a word is not in the dictionary, it’s not valid.

Bananagrams Acceptable Words for Serious Players

Picking a dictionary for more experienced and competitive players can be more difficult. With how advanced these players’ vocabularies typically are, there is more room for custom changes to standard Bananagrams rules. It’s more a matter of making sure everyone agrees on what Bananagrams dictionary to use.

One of the better options, if the players are also avid Scrabble enthusiasts, is to use a tournament Scrabble dictionary. The two best options are the NASPA Word List (NWL) and Collins Scrabble Words (CSW). These are the two standard word lists for all gaming-centric logophiles.

Serious players also have the option to customize their list of Bananagrams acceptable words if they’d like. One option might be to include proper nouns and slang terms that average players typically avoid.

WordFinder as a Bananagrams Words Checker

A fast and convenient way to check the validity of your Bananagrams words is to use WordFinder. We will make things easy if you think a word was spelled incorrectly or if you need to call someone out for using a fake word. WordFinder saves you a lot of time.

  1. Visit the WordFinder site or download the WordFinder app.

  2. Select Scrabble from the games menu, if needed. 

  3. Type in any questionable word and press Search.

  4. If the word is part of the Scrabble dictionary, it will appear at the top of the search results as a valid word.

The entire process takes only seconds. With WordFinder, arguments about the validity of words or their proper spellings will be a thing of the past.

Learn More About What’s in the Dictionary

As you search for a dictionary to best serve your Bananagrams needs, you might be surprised by words you thought weren’t playable that are actually acceptable. The English language constantly grows and evolves as new words are created or added. If you’re curious about what kind of words have made their way into the common lexicon, you’ll enjoy reading about popular video game terms that are now real words.


Zac Pricener has been a content creator for the past eight years. He’s a bit of an all-around nerd, and he has a bad habit of working movie and TV show references into conversations whenever possible.

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