Even though the television version of Scrabble isn't exactly like the home version, it didn't really matter. I remember my aunt one night throwing a fit with me because when we were playing the home board game, I said, "I'll take two tiles." Go figure. But digressing, here are the rules of the game!

Chuck Woolery would give the contestants a clue, one letter in the answer, and the number of letters in the answer. The contestants had to pick 2 tiles from the center podium, and select which one they wanted to place in the proper position of the word. If the letter they had selected was not in the word, they hit a "stopper", and control passed to the opposing contestant.

As soon as the player knew the word, they would buzz in and give it a shot. If correct, they won a game. It took 3 games to win a match. In the event that there was one letter remaining, the show would not give them the final letter in the answer. If the letter the player selected was on a pink or blue square, and they guessed the word correctly at that exact moment, they won instant money: $500 if it was a blue square and $1000 if it was a pink square.

Sometime in 1985, a minor, yet major, change to the rule was made. Instead of simply stating the answer aloud, the contestant would actually have to spell the answer out, letter by letter. If they spelled the word incorrectly, they didn't win the game. This rule was dropped shortly after it was initiated. (Funny how quickly we forget that infamous "Mosquito" incident.)

The winner of the match would go on to play the Scrabble Sprint round. In this round, the player had to answer 4 words in as least time as they could. They hit the plunger when they knew the word, but just calling out the letters that appeared in front of them. No stoppers were in the Sprint round. The time that it took the player to do the four words would be saved for a future sprint round that same episode. Another main game would then be played.

The winner of the second main game played the second Sprint Round, and would have to beat the time that the first player had accumulated, using the same 4 words. If they did beat the first players time, they won the game and the jackpot. In later episodes, they also went on to play another bonus round where they had to get 2 words in less than 10 seconds to win another jackpot, which started at $5000, with $1000 added each day until it was won.

Who knew that such a simple game show concept would become such a hit?