The 2023 edition of the NASPA Word List (NWL23) is now in effect for all NASPA-sanctioned club and tournament play. Details can be found at https://www.scrabbleplayers.org/w/NWL2023 (NASPA login required). NWL20 is no longer permitted.
Without giving away the whole new list, here are some tidbits to start us off. In common notation, new words are often suffixed with +, and deleted words are suffixed with – (not to be confused with the meaning that dropping the last letter also yields an acceptable word, e.g., LAB–). The + is assumed in these lists, but there are words here that were NWL18, removed in NWL20, and restored in NWL23. These words are suffixed with ±.
New words
- There are 12 new three-letter words:
ACK, the interjection, not short for “acknowledge”, so no ACKED*, etc.
ARO, short for “aromantic”; also AROS.
ATS, an inflection of the verb AT, as in, “After an argument, Janet ATTED Ed with the message, @edhorch your a doosh“.
BAE, as in “babe”, sort of. Can be used as an adjective but it doesn’t compare.
DOX, publishing embarrassing documents about someone; also DOX{ED,ED,ING}, and the double-X variations DOXX, DOXX{ED,ES,ING}.
FAM, short for “family”; also FAMS.
FAV, variant of FAVE; also FAVS.
GOY±, a non-Jew.
HOS±, plural of the noun HO (whore).
LOC, pronounced “lock”, as in dreadlocks; also LOCS and LOCING, but not LOCED*.
PWN, pronounced “pone”, to dominate, as in a video game; also PWN{S,ED,ING}.
VAX, vaccinate; also VAX{ED,ES,ING}, and the double-X variations VAXX, VAXX{ED,ES,ING}. - There are 46 new four-letter words. Not all of them are listed here, but the new power-fours, dreck-fours, and restored words are:
BRUH CRIP± CUCK DOXX FOLX GANK GOYS± JEDI KORI LEWK MILF MPOX OPPO PHEO PUBE PWNS SPAZ± TWAT± VAXX WELP YAJE ZENS ZUKE - There are a handful of (uninflected) restored fives:
BUBBA± CHOLA± CHOLO± HAOLE± NOOKY± POMMY± POOFY± SPAZZ± - And some restored sixes:
BOHUNK± GOYISH± HUNKEY± JESUIT± KANAKA± NOOKIE± POMMIE± SHIKSA± SHIKSE± - Subjectively interesting new words (uninflected, unless the inflected form is what’s interesting) not already mentioned:
- 4s: ARIE CATH GANK MANI NOOB PEDI ROID STAN STIM WELP YEET
- 5s: BOTOX COVID EFFED FAVER FUGLY GLAMP GONNA GOTTA HYGGE INCEL INNIE INTEL JANKY JIAOS LAGGY NDUJA OUTIE PALEO PANKO QUESO RANDO SHART SITCH SPORK SWOLE THWAP TRYNA UNSUB VACAY VIBED WAGYU WANNA
- 6s: ADORBS ASSHAT BOUJEE CHONKY COULDA CRINGY EMPATH FANART FAVEST GEOTAG GREEKS HANDSY JAKESES JAMOKE KEYTAR KRATOM MATCHA MEETUP MODDED MODDER NOOBIE ONESIE RETCON ROUXES SKEEZY UNMUTE UNPAIR VERBED VIBING WOULDA YEEHAW ZEDONK ZONKEY ZOOMER
- 7s: ADULTED AGENDER ALTCOIN AMIRITE ASSLESS ASSWIPE BACKEND BIRTHER BODYCAM BOURGIE CAMGIRL CHATBOT COSPLAY CRINGEY CRYPTID DASHCAM DEADASS DEMONYM DOGPILE DUMBASS EGGCORN FECESES FINTECH FURRIES GEEKING GREYOUT HANGULS HAPTICS INKINGS IXNAYED JEGGING KUMBAYA MELTIER MULATTO± NAMASTE NUTBALL OMAKASE PANTSED PICKNEY± PLUSHIE REDBUSH REDNECK± REWATCH SHEENEY± SHEENIE± SHEGETZ± SHICKSA± SHIKSEH± SHOULDA SIZEISM STUFFIE THINGIE UNVAXED VERBING
- 8s: ADULTING ALLYSHIP AMBIGRAM AMIRIGHT AUTOFILL AUTOFOCI BRALETTE BRUTALER BULBLIKE CARNITAS COLOREDS± CONELIKE CORNHOLE DATAFILE DEADNAME DEEPFAKE DICKHEAD± DYSTOPIC EYEWEARS FEMICIDE FLOWBACK FRICKING GNOCCHIS HEADBUTT HOGSBANE HORCHATA KOMBUCHA LYSERGIC MOONCAKE MULTIHIT NOVOCAIN PAGEVIEW PALEOART PANTSING PETAFLOP POONTANG± REPOSTED ROWHOUSE SHITPOST SHITSHOW SHKOTZIM± SHOUTOUT SKIWEARS SOUNDBAR SPEEDRUN STEPDOWN TRAMADOL UNBANKED UNMALTED WOKENESS
Not words
- There are no new two-letter words. 🙁
- Unlike Collins, the international phonetic alphabet is still not categorically acceptable in NWL23, so the following are still unacceptable as hyphenated or proper nouns:
JULIET# NOVEMBER# QUEBEC# XRAY# YANKEE# ZULU# - There are no new SATINE?, SATIRE, or RETINA? sevens. I”m still looking into whether there are any new AEINRST? eights.
- There are no new U-less Q words.
- 38 words were deleted from NWL20 when creating NWL23, not all of them slurs. No 2-, 3- or 4-letter words were deleted. The deleted 5- to 8-letter words are:
COADYS– FLOREATS– GRIZES– LOOKITED– LOOKITS– LUVED– LUVING– MONGOL– MONGOLS– NEGROID– NEGROIDS– NELLIE– PALPUSES– SHEEPLES–.
The rest are 9- to 15- letter words.
Collins
Our club still permits use of the Collins word list (CSW22) together with the 5-point challenge rule, as long as both players agree to it.
