Winning over 20 game awards, Quiddler is a unique word-building card game, unlike traditional card games. Players must use strategy and creativity to earn the most points. Continue reading to learn all the Quiddler rules and how to play.
Cards depict Celtic letter designs and point values for players to use to create words and earn points. Challenge your brainy friends to a game and see who can create the word with the most letters or the most words using the cards you are dealt!
This Quiddler rules guide will cover the following:
- What is Quiddler?
- A brief history of Quiddler
- What you’ll need to play Quiddler
- Quiddler Game Rules
- How to play Quiddler (Video Tutorial)
- FAQs
Read on to learn how to play Quiddler.
What is Quiddler?
Quiddler is a card game played using letter cards instead of numbers. Try to build words using the letter cards you are dealt to earn points. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Number of Players: 1-8 players
Ages: 8+
Difficulty: Easy
Length of Play: 35 minutes
Category: Card Game, Word Game
Similar to: Five Crowns, Quiddler Junior, Yammer
Main Objective: The main objective is to create words using your letter cards, earning points to achieve the highest score. Players earn bonus points for building many words or long words.
Why We Love It: Not only does this game require thinking skills, it stimulates creativity and language development through the creation of word building.
A Brief History of Quiddler
The game Quiddler, developed by SET Enterprises, is one of several games designed with a unique educational background in mind.
The original SET game, founding the industry, was developed in 1974 by Marsha Jean Falco. Later, the company continued to create games such as Quiddler, Five Crowns, and Karma.
Quiddler is also available in a miniature version. The deck of cards is small enough to fit in your pocket. Quiddler Mini is a great travel option because it is portable and is played in fewer rounds.
What You’ll Need to Play Quiddler
Everything you need to play is included in this boxed set.
- 118 cards
- Instructions
Quiddler Rules
Each card has a letter and a numerical point value. Some cards have 2 letters, such as Qu and Th.
The game is played in eight rounds. Every round, each player receives a specific number of cards to use.
Round 1: Each player starts with 3 cards.
Round 2: Each player gets 4 cards.
Round 3: Each player gets 5 cards.
Round 4: Each player gets 6 cards.
Round 5: Each player gets 7 cards.
Round 6: Each player gets 8 cards.
Round 7: Each player gets 9 cards.
Round 8: Each player gets 10 cards.
Begin by shuffling and dealing the cards. The player to the dealer’s left will play first.
Draw 1 card to start your turn. You can draw from the deck or the discard pile. Your turn ends when you discard one card.
Use strategy to determine the best way to build words. If the letter shown in the discard pile will be helpful, select it!
Continue this gameplay working to build a word, or words, in your hand. When you are ready to play a word, place your cards down on the table to display the word you built.
How to Keep Score in Quiddler
Use the point values on the cards to calculate your score.
For example:
If you play the word “red,” you claim the following points for each letter:
R- 5
E- 2
D- 5
Total: 12 points
If you have cards left over, you must subtract the value of those cards from your total score. So, it is in your best interest to try to create a word using all the cards in your hand.
When you play your word or words, each player will have one more turn to try to build a word before the round ends.
The player who creates the longest word, based on the most letters, not the most cards, gets an additional ten bonus points.
The player with the most words also receives ten bonus points.
If you are playing with only one other person, you must decide which bonus rule you want to apply in your game: the most extended word bonus or the most words bonus.
The player to earn the most points at the end of all eight rounds wins the game!
How to Play Quiddler – Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an online Quiddler game?
You can find an online daily Quiddler puzzle along with virtual SET and KARMA games. These card games, also produced by SET Enterprises, offer a unique gameplay experience for players of all ages.
Why is the game called Quiddler?
The word quiddler means to dawdle or waste time in the Engish language. So, it could be that the game was named Quiddler because you can play it when you have spare time or simply because they thought the word was a fitting name for this unique word game.
What is the meaning of Quiddler?
The word quiddler means to dawdle or waste time. The game titled, Quiddler is a word-building card game similar to Rummikub or Scrabble.
Related: Rummikub rules | Scrabble rules
Other Games Similar to Quiddler (Our Guides)
If you enjoy educational thinking games like Quiddler, check out these other fun options:
- How to Play Quordle
- Scrabble Rules
- Upwords Rules
- Yammer (guide coming soon)
- Bananagrams Rules
