# What is my bowling score?

Scores a ten-pin bowling game from its rolls, with strikes, spares and the tenth frame by the USBC rules, frame by frame, for a full game or one in progress.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/sports/bowling-score-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/sports/bowling-score-calculator.json
- Version: d7258ebbb529

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Rolls X 7/ 9- X X X 8/ 9- X XX7): Your bowling score is 211 (Complete).

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| r | Rolls | Every roll of the game in order: X for a strike, / for a spare, - for a miss, F for a foul, or the pins as a digit. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| total | Score | The running total after the last frame that can be scored. |
| status | Game | Complete after the tenth frame, or how many frames are scored so far. |
| frames | Frame by frame | Each frame’s rolls and the running total; a frame still waiting for its bonus rolls shows a dash. |
| best | Highest possible final score | The final score if every roll still to come knocks down all the pins standing. |
| strikes | Strikes | Rolls that knocked down a full rack of 10 pins. |
| spares | Spares | Racks cleared by the second roll. |

## Method

Open frame = its pins. Strike = 10 + the pins of the next two rolls. Spare = 10 + the pins of the next roll. The tenth frame = its pins, with two bonus rolls after a strike or one after a spare. The score is the running total of the frames.

## Assumptions

- Rolls are typed in order: X is a strike, / a spare, - a miss, F a foul (0 pins), a digit its pins; a separate word 10 is ten pins.
- A frame whose bonus rolls are not thrown yet is not scored, and neither is any frame after it.
- The highest possible final score assumes every later roll knocks down every pin left standing.

## Worked examples

1. r = X 7/ 9- X X X 8/ 9- X XX7 gives total = 211, status = Complete, frames = 1: X = 20; 2: 7 / = 39; 3: 9 - = 48; 4: X = 78; 5: X = 106; 6: X = 126; 7: 8 / = 145; 8: 9 - = 154; 9: X = 184; 10: X X 7 = 211, strikes = 7, spares = 2. Source: United States Bowling Congress, Playing Rules 2024–2025, rules 1a (a game is 10 frames), 2a (strike: 10 plus the next two deliveries) and 3a (spare: 10 plus the next delivery), https://bowl.com/getmedia/cabf49db-8cc5-4ce4-abc0-dfca1a1d7706/071724_USBC-Playing-Rules.pdf; Wikipedia, Ten-pin bowling, Scoring (traditional scoring; a perfect game is 300), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling.
2. r = XXXXXXXXXXXX gives total = 300, best = 300, strikes = 12, spares = 0. Source: Wikipedia, Ten-pin bowling, Scoring (traditional scoring; a perfect game is 300), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling (the maximum score is 300, twelve strikes in a row); United States Bowling Congress, Playing Rules 2024–2025, rules 1a (a game is 10 frames), 2a (strike: 10 plus the next two deliveries) and 3a (spare: 10 plus the next delivery), https://bowl.com/getmedia/cabf49db-8cc5-4ce4-abc0-dfca1a1d7706/071724_USBC-Playing-Rules.pdf.
3. r = X 36 gives total = 28, status = In progress: 2 of 10 frames scored. Source: Wikipedia, Ten-pin bowling, Scoring (traditional scoring; a perfect game is 300), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling (frame 1: 10 + 3 + 6 = 19; frame 2: 9; total 28).
4. r = 7/ 42 gives total = 20. Source: Wikipedia, Ten-pin bowling, Scoring (traditional scoring; a perfect game is 300), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling (frame 1: 10 + 4 = 14; frame 2: 6; total 20).
5. r = 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/ 9/9 gives total = 190, spares = 10. Source: United States Bowling Congress, Playing Rules 2024–2025, rules 1a (a game is 10 frames), 2a (strike: 10 plus the next two deliveries) and 3a (spare: 10 plus the next delivery), https://bowl.com/getmedia/cabf49db-8cc5-4ce4-abc0-dfca1a1d7706/071724_USBC-Playing-Rules.pdf.

## FAQ

### How do you score a strike in bowling?

A strike counts 10 plus the pins of your next two rolls. A strike followed by 3 and 6 scores 10 + 3 + 6 = 19 in the first frame, and the open second frame adds 9 for a total of 28.

### How do you score a spare?

A spare counts 10 plus the pins of your next roll. A spare (7 then 3) followed by a 4 scores 14; if the next frame is 4 and 2, the total is 14 + 6 = 20.

### How does the tenth frame work?

A strike in the tenth frame earns two more rolls, and a spare earns one. The tenth frame counts all its pins: X X 7 is 27. An open tenth frame has just two rolls.

### What is a perfect game?

Twelve strikes in a row: one in each of the first nine frames and three in the tenth. It scores 300, the highest possible.

### How do I type my rolls?

X for a strike, / for a spare, - for a miss (gutter ball), F for a foul, and digits for the pins. Spaces are optional, so X7/9- and X 7/ 9- are the same. A separate word 10 also means ten pins.

### Can I score a game that is not finished?

Yes. Frames are scored as soon as their bonus rolls are known, and the page also shows the highest final score still possible if every later roll clears the pins.

## Sources

- United States Bowling Congress, Playing Rules 2024–2025: rule 1a (a game is 10 frames; two deliveries in frames 1 to 9 unless a strike), rule 2a (strike: 10 plus the next two deliveries; three deliveries in the 10th frame after a strike), rule 3a (spare: 10 plus the next delivery). https://bowl.com/getmedia/cabf49db-8cc5-4ce4-abc0-dfca1a1d7706/071724_USBC-Playing-Rules.pdf (retrieved 2026-10-02)
- Wikipedia, Ten-pin bowling, Scoring (traditional scoring, the strike and spare examples, and the perfect game of 300). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-pin_bowling (retrieved 2026-10-02)