League of the Lexicon is the ‘fiendishly delightful game for word lovers

If you’re looking for a new game to play with family and friends, then League of the Lexicon should be near the top of the list. After a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, League of the Lexicon is currently available for £34.99 at Waterstones. A celebration of language and the origins of words and phrases, the word game features over 2,000 questions spread across five categories and with two levels of difficulty. 

With celebrity fans such as Susie Dent and Stephen Fry, League of the Lexicon is a fantastic game to play with quiz lovers and fans of the English language. 

“League of the Lexicon is a highly entertaining board game about words, made by word lovers, for word lovers which was created in collaboration with the world’s finest linguists and lexicographers, many of whom contributed questions to the game, players face the ultimate test of wordly wisdom,” reads the official description.

“The League of the Lexicon, after whom the game is named, is a company of outcast lexicographers on a quest to secure rare lexical Artefacts. This intriguing cast, from the esteemed Doc Johnson to Roget, the martini-drinking badger, are the characters used during play and have been brought to life by the illustrator Stavros Damos.

“This is the world of League of the Lexicon: exotic yet steeped in the history of language and with a seductive 1930s aesthetic and graphic motifs that draw on the history of writing, players are drawn into a game world that is rich with detail and unlike any other quiz game.”

Players roll a die to determine which of the five categories they must answer on their turn. Categories include Lexicon Master, Meaning and More, Usage and Abusage, Word Sauce and Wordly Wisdom.

You may be asked to spell a particularly troublesome word, or list ten things you can spread on toast. Likewise, you may be asked to identify the correct origin of a word, or the proper use of a piece of punctuation.

If you’re struggling with some of the harder questions, or are playing with younger members of the family, then there’s a whole batch of cards with easier alternatives.

The aim is to collect five artefacts, which match the symbols found on your character card.

The instruction manual contains a further six variations of the game, which can be used to spice things up depending on how many people are playing.

It began as a lockdown project between creator Joshua Blackburn and his two young sons.

Joshua Blackburn explains more: “The joy of League of the Lexicon isn’t just proving what you know, it’s finding out what you don’t. This is a game for couples, families, and anyone with a passion for language and learning, there isn’t a game like it.”

If you’re wondering whether League of Lexicon is the game for you, check out some of the introductory word quizzes on the game’s website.