How to Play Last Word

An uproarious race to have the final say. 2 to 8 players ages adult

The game Last Word is a race to, well, have the last word. You know here at Family Game Shelf, we love word games, races and challenges. Scattergories, Categories, Pickles to Penguins, Outburst and 5 Second Rule are some of our favorites that fit this description (you can even find our own seasonal games of the last two in our Family Game Shelf Shop). So Last Word was a game we knew we had to give a try.

We’ll tell you about how to play, what we liked and what we didn’t like and if we think you should make room for this game.

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Setting up Last Word

First, each player gets a pawn mover and puts it on the game board. Next, the letter cards are shuffled and placed face down on the board. The subject cards are also shuffled and put face down on the game board. Last, each player gets a trade-in piece.

How to Play Last Word

To start, the timer is set on the table where all players have easy access to it. The timer has random amounts of time on it (this becomes important later). Next, each player gets a subject card from the draw pile. After having a moment to read it to themselves, one player turns over the letter card and announces the letter out loud. Now the race is on.

Now, all players try to come up with something that fits their category that starts with the letter turned over. The first player who puts down their subject card, reads it out loud and says a word that fits, starts the round. She then presses the start button on the timer.

Next, any player who comes up with a word that fits the category that starts with the letter says it out loud. Players do not take turns and any player can say a word at any time. When the timer goes off the player who says the Last Word, wins the round and gets to move her pawn one space on the board. Because the timer is random, the race to be the Last Word is different each time. Players don’t know how much time they have so they can’t keep an answer until just before the time goes off.

After the wining player moves, the player who put down the subject, draws a new subject card. Next, a new letter is flipped over and the race begins again.

Some sample subjects are “Things people shout”. If the letter is F then an answer could be fire, fries, or friends. If the subject is “Things that are Green,” answers for the letter K could be Kermit, kale and kite. Similar, if the subject is “Foreign Cities” and the letter is D, Dubbin, Denmark and Dubai are possible answers.

Trade-In Chips

Sometimes, a player will get a subject that they just can’t connect with. For example, if the subject is Kinds of Tress and that player just can’t come up with any kind of trees and feels stuck, then he can choose to hand in his Trade-in chip. Now, he can discard his subject card and draw a new one. Players need to be careful as they only get one race-in chip per game.

Challenges

As in most games, the player who said the Last Word in a round can be challenged. For example, if the subject was Weather terms and the Last Word was Slippery, the other players can challenge her. After a quick discussion, players take a vote to see if the word scores the point or not. If not, the paler who said the Last Word that was acceptable gets the point.

Jump Start

Sometimes, all the players seem to be stuck on a letter. This is a good time to do a Jump Start. In this play, one player will call out jump start and press the timer. Now all other players need to race to be the first player to call out a word that fits their own category and the letter flipped over. The first player to say a word gets the point. On the other hand, if no player manages to say a word, then the player who called jump start gets to move two spaces on the board.

Winning Last Word

The player who reaches the finish line on the game board is the winner.

Last Word Team Play

To play Last Word as a team, each team is given one pawn and trade-in chip. Just like in the solo game, each player gets a subject card and plays the same way except that the player who says the Last Word scores the point for the team. Similarly, the team who reaches the finish first is the winner. This can be great for playing with kids or players who maybe are not so quick on their feet.

What We Like

First, as I said before, we like word games. We like that we get to be creative, that creativity often results in a fun-filled argument. The fact that the timer is random is great as it really keeps you on your toes. And the trade-in chip is also great so a player doesn’t feel hopeless when they get a subject like “Politicians.” (We are not up on their names and the whole political scene.) We also like the jump start rule that can keep the game moving.

What We Don’t Like

First, the fact that the trade-in chips do not match the pawn colours really bugs us. We know that this is a silly, small thing but it’s always an issue when we start out to play. Next, we sometimes have a hard time putting the timer where everyone can reach. Of course we just play that the player closest to the timer presses the button for the player who can’t reach. Last, some subject are hard, I mean how many sandwiches are there? Of course, this is part of the game so it’s not really a criticism.

Should You Add Last Word to your Family Game Shelf?

If your family likes word games, then this is a great game to add. The team play also makes it easier for families to play. The box suggests that it is an adult game, but our tween and teen play just as well as the parents. Overall, we would recommend adding Last Word to you game shelf.

Although this is a legacy game, it has been re-released. You can get your Last Word copy here. Canadians can shop here. And you can always luck out and find a used copy. And if you’re looking for more fun, be sure to check out our seasonal Outburst games, 5 Second games, Category games and Taboo games too in our Family Game Shelf Shop.

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