Games that focus on words have a special place in my heart. Scrabble is one of the games that will always occupy a place of honor in my collection (not that I'm very good at it, mind you), and I'll play any of these games on a moment's notice.
1. Scrabble
Some players study Scrabble like Garry Kasparov studies Chess. The Deluxe edition boasts several worthwhile features, including a board that spins and holds letters in place. I think Scrabble is best with 2 players.
2. Apples to Apples
Who knew that two decks of cards -- nouns and adjectives -- could be this much fun? One player serves as the judge and lays down an adjective. The others scramble to find a noun in their hand which can be described by that adjective. The results are often outrageous. For 4 to 8 players. A junior edition is available.3. Boggle
Players (2 or more) compete to find as many words as possible in a 4x4 grid as a three-minute sand timer works its way down. You score points by finding words that other players don't locate. This game is fast-paced and addictive. A "Folio" edition published in 2003 makes Boggle very travel-friendly.4. BuyWord
Designed by master game designer Sid Sackson, BuyWord challenges players to buy letters and then sell words at a profit. Naturally, the better letters cost more money. Players have to have good word skills, but it also helps to understand the concept of "buy low, sell high" in this game. For one to four players.5. Pass the Bomb
A randomly timed "bomb" gets passed from player to player in this game, as they try to come up with words that include the letters on a face-up card. When the bomb "explodes," the player holding it gets the card, representing one negative point.6. Typo
Typo is a very clever word game from small publisher Cwali. Players begin with a hand of 12 cards (each card has one letter), with five cards on the table. They then attempt to play their cards in such a way that they can expand the cards on the table to form part of a word. For two to six players.7. Balderdash / Beyond Balderdash
Making up definitions for unusual words is the basis for this game. Expanding on the original Balderdash, Beyond Balderdash categories include words, people, initials, dates, and movie plots. The best bluffer wins. Best with 4 to 6 players.8. Upwords
A cousin of Scrabble, Upwords allows you to stack letters on top of existing words to build new ones. Scoring also is different -- each letter is worth the same, with some advantage to stacking them. Best with 2 players.