How do you score in curling?
B · Beginner · The game · 2 of 5Only one team scores in an end. It gets a point for each of its stones in or touching the house that is nearer the tee than any opposing stone. If no stone is in the house, the end is blank. When the eye cannot tell, a measuring device settles it, measuring from the tee to the nearest part of the stone.
How it works
- One team: only the team with the closest stone scores.
- Points: one per stone closer than the opponent's best.
- In the house: a stone touching the outer ring counts.
- Agreement: the score stands when the skips or vice-skips agree.
- Measuring: from the tee to the nearest part of the stone.
- Too close to measure: decided by eye.
- Cannot decide: the stones are equal; if that decides who scored, the end is blank.
- During the end: stones are judged by eye only, except to check if a stone is in play or in the guard zone.
The glossary has the point, the measurement, the blank end, the steal, the shot stone and the button.
Tricky cases
Can both teams score in the same end?
No. Only the team with the closest stone scores.
A stone is disturbed before the score is agreed. What then?
The non-offending team gets the benefit a measurement might have given it.
Two stones are exactly level. Who scores?
If that decides which team scored, the end is blanked. If it decides an extra point, only the stones nearer the tee count.
What is a steal?
Scoring in an end where the opponent had the last stone. The rules do not use the word; it is the game's name for it.
Why the rule exists
Counting only the stones better than the opponent's best rewards control of the house, not mere closeness. Measuring only after the last stone stops keeps the game moving.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | One point per counting stone | WC R12 (b) |
| Mixed doubles | Positioned stones count too | WC R17 (b) |
| External force moves stones before agreement | End replayed, or the scoring team chooses | WC R12 (g) |
From the rule book
World Curling, The Rules of Curling and Rules of Competition (1 September 2026), rules R2 (i) and R12 (b) to (h). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Curling's rules, reviewed every year.