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Players: 2 or more, ages 8 and up
Smart Mouth is a versatile and entertaining word game that is a snap to set
up and as easy to learn. Two letter tiles are displayed side by side. All
players simultaneously try to think of a word (at least three letters long)
that begins with the first letter and ends with the second. The first player
to correctly shout out a word receives the two tiles and another two are
displayed. The player with the most letter tiles at the end of the round
wins.
The basic game, as fun as it is, can be altered with an endless number of
variations. Raise or lower the minimum number of letters for a word to make an easier or more challenging game. Create categories such as animals, movies, famous people. Instead of the first and last letters of one word, the tiles can be made to represent the first and second initials of a phrase, name, etc. Make up
wacky or racy categories for adult gatherings. Or, turn the game into a fun educational tool by creating categories for science or math terms, geographical locations, or more. You can even make it a spelling bee by having the player spell the word he/she shouts out before winning the tiles.
I was surprised at how well my younger children did in a mixed group of
players. They held their own very well — with a fair variation of game play, of course.
Smart Mouth is picked from our game shelf quite often, and once it’s off, everyone wants to play many rounds before putting it back again. Making up new variations is almost as fun as playing the game itself! A real winner.
