STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And we have important news today for people who play Scrabble, the game where you take letters and try to assemble them into words.
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Such as Renee, R-E-N-E-E.
INSKEEP: Renee, I think proper names are not allowed.
MONTAGNE: Good to know because this is also about Scrabble rules.
INSKEEP: If your available letters include a stray Z, you may now spell out L-O-L-Z or lolz, the shorthand for laughs out loud.
MONTAGNE: It's worth a solid 13 points. And now, in Britain at least, it's a totally legit move. For that you can say thanx - that's with an X - another newly approved word thanks to Britain's educational publishing house Collins.
INSKEEP: It's added 6,500 words to the official U.K. Scrabble list, words like twerking or cakehole.
MONTAGNE: And new tech terms are on the list, too, like emoji, facetime and hashtag.
INSKEEP: And to put at ease the Scrabble purists listening right now, the new word that will get you the most points has nothing to do with modern slang.
MONTAGNE: It's quinzhee, the term for a snow shelter.
INSKEEP: How do you spell that, Renee?
MONTAGNE: Q-U-I-N-Z-H-E-E.
INSKEEP: Well done, good for at least 29 points - 29 points and probably long enough to boost it with a double-word score.
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