Bowldle · Tools
Bowling score calculator
Tap in each ball as you bowl and the calculator scores your game the way the alley does, with strikes, spares and the tenth-frame bonus balls handled for you.
How bowling scoring works
A game of ten-pin bowling has ten frames. In each frame you get up to two balls to knock down all ten pins. Your score adds up frame by frame, and strikes and spares earn bonus pins from the balls that follow.
- Open frame: if pins are still standing after two balls, the frame is worth the number of pins you knocked down. A 7 and a 2 scores 9.
- Spare (/): all ten pins down with two balls. The frame scores 10 plus the pins from your next ball.
- Strike (X): all ten pins down with the first ball. The frame scores 10 plus the pins from your next two balls.
- Tenth frame: a strike or spare in the tenth earns extra balls so the bonus can be counted. A strike gets two more balls and a spare gets one, so the tenth can have up to three.
Scoring example
Say you bowl a strike, then a 7 and a 3 for a spare, then a 9 and a miss:
- Frame 1 (strike): 10 + 7 + 3 = 20
- Frame 2 (spare): 10 + 9 = 19, running total 39
- Frame 3 (open): 9 + 0 = 9, running total 48
That is why a strike can't be scored right away: the frame waits for your next two balls.
Common questions
What is the highest possible bowling score?
300, a perfect game of twelve strikes in a row: one in each of the first nine frames and three in the tenth.
What does a dash mean on a scoresheet?
A dash (-) is a ball that knocked down no pins. An X is a strike, a slash (/) is a spare, and a circled number marks a split.
What is a turkey in bowling?
Three strikes in a row. Two in a row is a double, and four in a row is often called a hambone.
What is a good bowling score?
Casual bowlers usually score between 90 and 150. A score of 200 or more is excellent, and league bowlers often average 170 to 210.