How To Play Bananagrams Duel

Object Of The Game

Race to be the first player to use all of your letter cubes in a grid.

Want to print the instructions? View the printable pdf here.

Setting Up Bananagrams Duel

1. Each player takes 12 letter cubes.

2. Place the banana cards face down within reach of both players. Banana cards are used as score cards and / or theme cards.

How To Play - CLASSIC DUEL 

Each time a player wins a round, they’re awarded one banana card. First to 10 cards wins! In this game you will only use the banana cards to keep score. Ignore the categories on the cards.

1. To start the game, any player calls out “Go!”. Simultaneously, players race to form their own crossword grid using any side of their 12 letter cubes. (See a complete grid below using 12 cubes.)

2. Words must read horizontally or vertically, left to right or top to bottom. All words must connect or intersect to form one unified word grid. Grids can be rearranged at anytime.

3. The first player to complete a word grid with all 12 cubes calls “Bananas!” and is rewarded one banana card. At the end of each round, mix all letter cubes together, and redistribute 12 cubes to each player.

The first player to win 10 rounds and collect 10 banana cards wins!

Additional Details • Proper nouns and abbreviations are not allowed. • If a player’s grid includes a misspelled or non-existent word, that player scores no banana card for that round, and the opponent gains the banana card instead.

Themed Mini-Game

Set-up and play classic DUEL, but before each round begins, flip over one banana card to reveal a theme.

To win the round, the first complete grid must now contain at least one word that satisfies the rounds theme.

Each time a player wins a themed round, they are awarded that banana card. The first player to collect ten cards wins the game!

You Get What You Get Mini-Game

Begin each round by rolling your 12 dice.

Players now must play what they rolled—no re-rolls or turning dice allowed!

If neither player can complete their grid, the player that uses the most letter cubes in their grid wins.

Rollin' Mini-Game

Begin each round by rolling your 12 cubes.

If players wish to change the letters as the dice land, players may roll each die and use the letter it lands (rather than reposition manually to the preferred letter).

You may roll an individual die as many times as you want.

Rhyme Time Mini-Game

Play as classic DUEL but score one bonus card for each pair of rhyming words in your grid.