Blizzard
Scrabble score: 29 points
Words With Friends score: 31 points
BLIZZARD is one of the harsher winter words. When we want to explain that the snowfall is currently an overwhelming amount, we call it a blizzard. That’s appropriate, as the double Z’s in the word will earn you an overwhelming amount of points in Scrabble. (You will need to use a blank tile to create the second Z, however, as standard Scrabble only comes with one. Super Scrabble has two Z tiles, though.)
Chilly
Scrabble score: 14 points
Words With Friends score: 15 points
When the weather is cold enough to be uncomfortable but not brutal, “CHILLY” is one of the best words to describe winter. For Scrabble players, however, there’s nothing uncomfortable about a shorter word that scores them a minimum of 14 points.
Cocoa
Scrabble score: 9 points
Words With Friends score: 11 points
Few things are as relaxing as staying in on a cold winter day and warming up with a cup of hot COCOA. It can put just about anyone in a good mood. So can playing this five-letter word when you need to make an extension off of a C or an O on the board. It's probably not the best for solving Wordle with the two C's though.
Cozy
Scrabble score: 18 points
Words With Friends score: 18 points
Hot cocoa is good, but there are plenty of other drinks you can have instead. The important thing is that you find a way to get COZY. Being cozy is all about being comfortable. And playing “cozy” in Scrabble and getting those 18 points is a good way to snag a comfortable lead. Short words for lots of points, like COZY, is the mark of an expert word finder.
Equinox
Scrabble score: 23 points
Words With Friends score: 25 points
The autumnal EQUINOX occurs in late September. It marks when the sun crosses the equator and goes south. This is the start of the fall season in the northern hemisphere, which will eventually lead to winter. Though the equinox marks the start of a colder season, the word itself can mark the start of a high score, thanks to its length and its use of the Q and X tiles.
Frosted
Scrabble score: 11 points
Words With Friends score: 11 points
When the weather outside is frightful, or at least frightfully cold, you can expect your windows to get FROSTED with ice. It’s a great word to describe winter. With this seven-letter word, and therefore one with bingo potential, your opponent can expect to have their chances of winning frozen whenever you play it.
Fireplace
Scrabble score: 16 points
Words With Friends score: 19 points
For many people, a FIREPLACE is an essential home fixture in the winter. The heat and light from them can keep everyone happy and peaceful as the weather rages outside. In Scrabble, this nine-letter word can really turn up the heat on your opponent while also melting their lead.
Hibernate
Scrabble score: 14 points
Words With Friends score: 15 points
Animals have a certain advantage over us by being able to HIBERNATE during the winter. Rather than having to deal with the cold day by day, they simply sleep the frigid months away. Go ahead and use this word to put to bed any chances your opponent has of winning. Thanks to its size, landing on one or more score multipliers to gain a ton of points will be easy.
Hockey
Scrabble score: 18 points
Words With Friends score: 17 points
Few sports are as fun to play during the winter as HOCKEY. You get to skate on the ice while also checking your friends into next week. The word itself can help you do the same in Scrabble. The high-value H, K and Y tiles let you turn this word into a lot of points.
Mittens
Scrabble score: 9 points
Words With Friends score: 11 points
If you’re going to take a pleasant stroll through some fresh snowfall, you need to dress appropriately. So, make sure you keep your hands warm by wearing some MITTENS. As far as winter words go, this one won’t score you a lot of points on its own. But, you’ll have plenty of chances to play it, thanks to all of the common letters. And those seven common letters mean you could play it for a bingo bonus.
Skiing
Scrabble score: 11 points
Words With Friends score: 11 points
Like hockey, SKIING is a staple winter activity. Though, aside from the occasional race downhill, it’s more of a solo event. The real challenge is in making sure you don’t crash into anything as you fly down the slopes on your skis.
This is a pretty standard word, so you’re bound to find a few chances to play it in a game. One way is if “ski” is already on the board in some form and you have an -ING on your rack that’s begging to be played.
Snowflake
Scrabble score: 19 points
Words With Friends score: 21 points
When a drop of water falls from the sky when it’s warm, it’s annoying, and we call it rain. When it falls while it’s cold and turns into an ice crystal, it’s pretty, and we call it a SNOWFLAKE. They say every snowflake is unique. The same can be said about each game of Scrabble. This is especially true if you play the word “snowflake,” as that won’t be a word you or your opponent see that often.
Snowscape
Scrabble score: 16 points
Words With Friends score: 19 points
A SNOWSCAPE is a landscape that has been coated in a blanket of snow. Seeing a hillside or valley turned white by the snow is one of the more enjoyable benefits of a visit from Old Man Winter. This is a great winter word to play if playing “snowflake” isn’t an option. Look carefully for which word you can form. You might find your chance to blanket the board with your high-scoring letters.
Sweater
Scrabble score: 10 points
Words With Friends score: 10 points
While you’re sitting by your fireplace and sipping your hot cocoa, you might decide to complete the cozy trifecta by wearing your most comfortable SWEATER. Whether it’s made of wool or yarn, this thick and soft pullover will keep you warm and happy.
In Scrabble, there are lots of chances to play this wintry word by connecting it to other words. You might see “sweat,” “ate” or “eat” on the board, which you can knit together with your tiles to form “sweater.”
Toboggan
Scrabble score: 12 points
Words With Friends score: 16 points
If you want to help your kids form treasured memories during the winter, sending them down a snow-covered hill on a TOBOGGAN is a great way to do it. Sure, they won’t be able to steer much, but crashing into a big pile of snow at the bottom is part of the wintry experience.
“Toboggan” might be a bit difficult to spell during a game, but it will be worth it if you can pull it off. As with many words on this list, watch carefully for chances to use previously played words as starting points.
Holiday Words For the Winter Season
Winter words are a lot of fun. They remind us, for the most part, of all of the enjoyable activities we can do during the cold season. And they also remind us of some of the best holidays of the year. If you want to learn some festive terms you can play alongside these winter ones, you can find plenty of them in our list of 20 holiday 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.
