Word Freak

Book cover

Word Freak is a non-fiction narrative by Stefan Fatsis published in 2001 (ISBN 0-618-01584-1).

The book is subtitled Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive SCRABBLE Players. Stefan Fatsis, sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal, introduces the reader to the world of competitive Scrabble through a narrative of his slow transformation from "a good living room player" into a player ranked as expert by the National Scrabble Association. Fatsis's humorous approach and descriptions of fellow competitive Scrabble players are interspersed with game strategies as the reader follows his progress up through the ranks of tournament players. The book also covers the history of the game, the way tournaments are run, and the background politics of the Scrabble scene. Word Freak is a New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Notable Book.

The documentary film Word Wars was later released, and although not directly related to the book, it reports on many of the same people.