How to Play the Ghost Spelling Game
The Ghost Spelling Game is perfect to play on a road trip with a mixed age group of travelers. Your challenge is to name the next letter in turn so that it builds a word without forming the end of a word. This game can also be used as a rainy day recess game in a classroom beginning in about the fourth grade.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
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1
Sit all the players in a circle or a line so that it is easy to remember who goes next. Select which player will go first. You can allow the youngest player to start or use a challenge question to decide who should go first. The first player has the least risk of getting penalized. This player starts the Ghost Spelling Game by naming one letter. Each player adds a letter in turn.
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2
Stop the play whenever the letter named ends a word that is at least three letters long or if the letter added makes it impossible to form a word. For example, if the first player says "b", the second player says "e", and the third player says "t" the play must stop because "B-E-T" forms a word. If the third player said "x" the play would also end because although "B-E-X" does not form a word, it is impossible to make one that begins with those letters.
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3
Penalize the third player for forming a word by assigning that player the letter "G". The fourth player starts a new word. Every player in turn adds a new letter until a word is formed and the player who said the final letter of the word is assigned a penalty. Suppose that the third player ended a second word. Now this player will have a "G" and an "H".
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4
Continue to play until one player has been penalized five times. Each time the same player ends a round this person receives a letter: G-H-O-S-T.
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5
Decide if the Ghosts are out. This strategy is best if you are playing with a large group. The other option is to end the game as soon as someone gets all five letters to become a Ghost.
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