"[4] Beginning as a family innovation, Bananagrams was made available to the public in January 2006 at the London Toy Fair.

Gameplay involves players arranging letter tiles into a grid of connected words.

Because Bananagrams can be played by players at any (English) reading level, the game is useful for children who are learning to spell, and has been touted as both educational[10] and popular among consumers.

[11] Other tabletop word games that are played without a board include Anagrams, Dabble, Perquackey and Quiddler.

[18] The online version adhered to the same protocol as the tabletop edition, but certain gameplay adjustments and social features were also available.

The game also included solitaire modes and "Banana Café", where the objective was to beat one's own best time.

They could be spent in the virtual store to purchase new tiles and playing boards, and to buy in-game hints and bonuses to gain an advantage over other players.