Shared words are worth nothing
Every word your opponent also finds is deleted from both lists, so the obvious three-letter words are close to useless. Treat them as warm-up and move on to words fewer people spot.
Go long early
Length scores steeply: 5 letters is 2 points, 7 letters is 5 and 8 or more is 11. A long word is also less likely to be on your opponent’s list. Look for -ING, -ED, -ER and -EST endings on the best letters and build outward from them.
Hunt in unusual corners
Most players start with the clearest word in the middle. Work the corners and the Qu tile instead: QUIT, QUEST and QUIET are easy to overlook, and an unusual word is far less likely to appear on both lists.
Do not stop at the first form
If you find TRAIN, check TRAINS, TRAINED and TRAINER as well. Opponents often stop at the root, so the longer forms are the points they leave behind.
Keep typing until the last second
Your list is sent automatically when the 90 seconds run out, and a list that arrives long after the end counts as empty, so stay on the page. Both lists are revealed together once the second player is in, and you cannot see your opponent’s words while you play.