This Is the Surprising Secret to Winning at Scrabble

​Ask any Scrabble fanatic how to win and we'd bet all the Monopoly money in the world they'd say long words, preferably filled with an "x," "y" and "z." If you just nodded your head in agreement, prepare to have your mind blown: Apparently, you should play shorter words if you want to take home the "W." ​​

This is a major reason why Nigeria has more top-200 Scrabble players than anywhere in the world, according to The Wall Street Journal. The country's national team has flipped the usual strategy of this 78-year-old game on its head by opting to play four- and five-letter words, even when longer ones are available. 

Why? Well, longer words provide more opportunities for competitors to play across the board. Plus, when you use up all of your letters in one play, you leave yourself vulnerable to pulling a bad batch for the next round. Makes sense, right? We'll definitely give this strategy a crack the next time we bust out the board on a rainy afternoon. 

​Via.