Play towards premium squares
Triple-word squares are the biggest scoring opportunities on the board. Before playing the highest-scoring word you can see, check whether your play opens a triple-word square for your opponent. Sometimes a slightly lower score that keeps the premium square out of reach is the better move.
Keep a balanced rack
Vowels and consonants in roughly equal measure give you more options on the next turn. A rack full of vowels or consonants limits what you can play and makes a swap more likely. When you have two plays with similar scores, prefer the one that leaves a more balanced set of letters.
Know when to swap
Swapping tiles costs a turn but can rescue a rack that has no good play available. If your best option scores only a few points and your rack has three or more of the same letter or five vowels, a swap often produces better results over the next two turns than the small play would.
Play short words to open cross-word scoring
A two or three letter word played perpendicular to a high-value existing tile can score more than it looks. The points from the cross word formed by the existing tile count toward the total for your play. Short words that land on bonus squares while creating cross words are often underestimated.
Use a solver to study positions
After a game, uploading screenshots of tricky positions to TileSmith and checking the move list is a practical way to spot plays you missed. Seeing which moves the solver found — and why they score more — builds pattern recognition over time.