Back to John Chew's Scrabble® Page

Maven and the Scrabble CD-ROM

I have created dictionary files for my own use for Brian Sheppard's original Maven program (currently only the Macintosh version) and its successor, Hasbro's Scrabble CD-ROM (either Mac or Windows). Unlike the files that come with either of these products, my files contain the current list of words acceptable in tournament play, and are built from the computer file that was developed jointly by editors at Merriam-Webster and the National SCRABBLE® Association's Dictionary Committee (of which I am chairman). This file includes changes made to the lexicon on March 2nd, 1998.

If you're interested in obtaining one of these dictionary files, please send me e-mail. I'll then e-mail you details of what's involved, and if you're still interested, a URL something like http://www.math.utoronto.ca/~jjchew/demo/, that will point to a set of installation instructions and a personalised copy of the dictionary. The demo URL above has a link to a dictionary that contains only two-, three- and seven-letter words, which you may try downloading if you're worried about getting things to work.

Why should you order a dictionary file from me rather than purchasing a $20 program elsewhere on the web to build your own files? Good question. If you're planning on using several different dictionary files, and you have ready access to electronic word lists for each dictionary, and you trust the accuracy of those word lists, then you'd be foolish not to spend your money on the dictionary builder program. If on the other hand, you're only interested in using the official tournament dictionary, and you would prefer to get your word lists from a reliable source, then you should consider saving your money and taking my offer.

Thanks to Nancy Overman for testing this dictionary with the CD-ROM's Internet play feature. When you play an opponent on the Internet, both of you must have installed a copy of the same dictionary file, or else strange and unpleasant things will happen.

My only connections to Hasbro, Inc. are as supplier of the dictionary file used on their CD-ROM, a member of the National SCRABBLE® Association Ratings Committee, the chairman of the National SCRABBLE® Association Dictionary Committee, and a member of the National SCRABBLE® Association itself. This offer is not endorsed by Hasbro, Inc.