Geocache Becomes First Fan-Voted Word Playable in the Game of SCRABBLE

It was a war of words, but in the end, geocache beat out 15 other nominated words in the SCRABBLE Word Showdown to become the winning word that will be included in the upcoming fifth edition of Merriam-Webster’s Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary. This marks the dictionary’s first major update in nearly a decade and the first time the dictionary has ever included a word that was voted on by fans.

“SCRABBLE fans are passionate about the words they get to play in the game, so we were thrilled to get them involved in selecting a new word to be added to The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary,” said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of marketing at Hasbro. “We had a lot of fun following the showdown on Facebook and are looking forward to adding geocache as a legal, playable word.”

Nominated by fans following a national call-for-entries on the Hasbro Game Night Facebook page in March, geocache, a verb meaning to seek items by means of a GPS device as part of a game, faced 15 other popular choices in an online showdown from April 2-10, during which it bested runner-up word zen and a selection of other fan favorite words including bitcoin, cosplay and ew.

"English is an evolving language," explained Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large at Merriam-Webster. "The fact is, words enter common usage before they enter the dictionary. We've been watching geocache for some time, and the fact that SCRABBLE lovers want to add it to the list of playable words strengthens the evidence that this is a word that people know and use. It's the perfect addition to the thousands of words that will be added when we release the new edition of The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary this summer."

While other words selected for addition to the upcoming fifth edition of The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary will not be officially playable until the new edition is published later this year, geocache will be an eligible word right in time for National SCRABBLE Day on April 13. The new word will also be playable in the upcoming National School SCRABBLE Championship in April and the National SCRABBLE Tournament in August.

Merriam-Webster's Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary is the official dictionary for English-language SCRABBLE in the United States and Canada. The updated fifth edition will be available wherever books are sold in August 2014. The selected word will also be available to play later this year in the digital versions of SCRABBLE on Facebook, iPhone, iPad, and Android from Electronic Arts.

Coming this fall, the SCRABBLE brand will also introduce the new SCRABBLE Electronic Scoring game. The new game makes scoring easy and automatic with a handheld electronic scoring unit. Simply play a word on the board, dial-in the score and hit enter. No pen, paper or dedicated scorekeeper required! The SCRABBLE electronic scoring unit also includes a timer option for faster gameplay.

For more information on SCRABBLE, go to hasbro.com/SCRABBLE. For more information on Merriam-Webster and The Official SCRABBLE Players Dictionary, visit merriam-webster.com/SCRABBLE.

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company’s world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 180 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.

Merriam-Webster Inc. For more than 150 years, in print and now in digital media, Merriam-Webster has been America's leading and most-trusted provider of language information. Each month, our Web sites and apps offer guidance to tens of millions of visitors. In print, our publications include Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary (among the best-selling books in American history) and newly published dictionaries for English-language learners. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of professional dictionary editors and writers in America, and one of the largest in the world. For more information, visit www.Merriam-Webster.com.

SCRABBLE is a trademark of Hasbro in the United States and Canada ©2014, Hasbro

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