From the publisher’s rulebook

Who goes first in Scrabble?

Mattel Scrabble English instructions

Each player draws one tile. The player whose tile is nearest the start of the alphabet plays first; a blank tile beats A.

A pile of wooden Scrabble letter tiles

Rule details

Return the drawn tiles to the bag, mix them, and draw seven tiles each. Play proceeds clockwise.

Source & edition

All 26 Mattel starting rules

Image: WOKANDAPIX / Wikimedia Commons · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0

If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.

If there’s a tie

The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.

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