diff --git a/ui/src/game/Game.svelte b/ui/src/game/Game.svelte
index beafaac..36db4ff 100644
--- a/ui/src/game/Game.svelte
+++ b/ui/src/game/Game.svelte
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
     placementFromHint,
     rackView,
     recallAt,
+    reorderIndices,
     reset,
     toSubmit,
     type Placement,
@@ -193,6 +194,11 @@
   // The empty board cell the dragged tile is currently aimed at, highlighted as a drop
   // target while carrying a tile over the board (Stage 17). Null over an occupied cell.
   let dropTarget = $state<{ row: number; col: number } | null>(null);
+  // Rack reordering (Stage 17): while a rack tile is dragged, reorderDragId is its stable id
+  // (so the rack hides it — the ghost stands in) and reorderTo is the drop slot over the rack
+  // (a gap opens there). Only when no tiles are pending, so the order is a clean permutation.
+  let reorderDragId = $state<number | null>(null);
+  let reorderTo = $state<number | null>(null);
 
   let dragPointerId = -1;
   function beginDrag(src: DragSrc, e: PointerEvent) {
@@ -214,6 +220,7 @@
     window.removeEventListener('pointerup', onWinUp);
     window.removeEventListener('pointerdown', onExtraPointer);
     clearHover();
+    clearReorder();
     downInfo = null;
     dragMoved = false;
     drag = null;
@@ -241,6 +248,33 @@
     hoverKey = '';
     dropTarget = null;
   }
+  function clearReorder() {
+    reorderDragId = null;
+    reorderTo = null;
+  }
+  // overRack reports whether y is within the rack's row (a small margin makes the target
+  // forgiving); rackTilesUnderX is the insertion slot for the pointer among the shown tiles.
+  function overRack(y: number): boolean {
+    const r = (document.querySelector('[data-rack]') as HTMLElement | null)?.getBoundingClientRect();
+    return !!r && y >= r.top - 24 && y <= r.bottom + 24;
+  }
+  function dropSlotAt(x: number): number {
+    const tiles = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('[data-rack] .tile')) as HTMLElement[];
+    for (let i = 0; i < tiles.length; i++) {
+      const r = tiles[i].getBoundingClientRect();
+      if (x < r.left + r.width / 2) return i;
+    }
+    return tiles.length;
+  }
+  // reorderRack moves the rack tile at fromIndex to the drop slot, permuting the rack and
+  // its stable ids. Only valid with no pending tiles (the rack is then a clean permutation).
+  function reorderRack(fromIndex: number, toSlot: number) {
+    if (placement.pending.length > 0) return;
+    const order = reorderIndices(placement.rack.length, fromIndex, toSlot);
+    rackIds = order.map((i) => rackIds[i] ?? i);
+    placement = newPlacement(order.map((i) => placement.rack[i]));
+    selected = null;
+  }
   function onWinMove(e: PointerEvent) {
     if (!downInfo) return;
     if (!dragMoved && Math.hypot(e.clientX - downInfo.x0, e.clientY - downInfo.y0) > 6) {
@@ -249,15 +283,26 @@
       const letter =
         src.from === 'rack' ? placement.rack[src.index] : pendingMap.get(`${src.row},${src.col}`)?.letter ?? '';
       drag = { letter, blank: letter === BLANK, x: e.clientX, y: e.clientY };
+      // A rack tile is lifted out of the rack while dragged (the ghost stands in for it).
+      reorderDragId = src.from === 'rack' ? rackIds[src.index] ?? null : null;
       // No zoom on drag start: the player may still change their mind. Holding the tile
       // over a cell for ~1s auto-zooms there (hover-hold below); a drop also zooms+centres.
     }
     if (!drag) return;
     drag = { ...drag, x: e.clientX, y: e.clientY };
     const c = cellUnder(e.clientX, e.clientY);
-    // Highlight the aimed-at cell as a drop target, but only when it is free (no committed
-    // or pending tile there).
-    dropTarget = c && !board[c.row]?.[c.col] && !pendingMap.has(`${c.row},${c.col}`) ? c : null;
+    // Preview where the drop lands: a drop-target ring on a free board cell, or — for a
+    // rack-source drag over the rack with no pending tiles — a reorder gap at that slot.
+    if (c) {
+      dropTarget = !board[c.row]?.[c.col] && !pendingMap.has(`${c.row},${c.col}`) ? c : null;
+      reorderTo = null;
+    } else if (reorderDragId != null && overRack(e.clientY) && placement.pending.length === 0) {
+      reorderTo = dropSlotAt(e.clientX);
+      dropTarget = null;
+    } else {
+      dropTarget = null;
+      reorderTo = null;
+    }
     const ck = c ? `${c.row},${c.col}` : '';
     if (ck !== hoverKey) {
       hoverKey = ck;
@@ -287,8 +332,12 @@
       drag = null;
       const onRack = !!(document.elementFromPoint(e.clientX, e.clientY) as HTMLElement | null)?.closest('[data-rack]');
       const cell = cellUnder(e.clientX, e.clientY);
+      const to = reorderTo;
       if (di.src.from === 'rack' && cell) {
         attemptPlace(di.src.index, cell.row, cell.col);
+      } else if (di.src.from === 'rack' && onRack && to != null) {
+        // Dropped a rack tile back onto the rack → reorder it to the drop slot.
+        reorderRack(di.src.index, to);
       } else if (di.src.from === 'board' && onRack) {
         // Dropped a pending tile back onto the rack → recall it to its original slot.
         placement = recallAt(placement, di.src.row, di.src.col);
@@ -302,12 +351,14 @@
     } else {
       drag = null;
     }
+    clearReorder();
   }
   onDestroy(() => {
     window.removeEventListener('pointermove', onWinMove);
     window.removeEventListener('pointerup', onWinUp);
     window.removeEventListener('pointerdown', onExtraPointer);
     clearHover();
+    clearReorder();
     telegramClosingConfirmation(false);
   });
 
@@ -667,7 +718,15 @@
          a finished game shows the final rack greyed out and the controls disabled. -->
     <div class="rack-row" class:inert={gameOver}>
       <div class="rack-wrap">
-        <Rack slots={rackSlots} {variant} {selected} shuffling={shuffling && !app.reduceMotion} ondown={onRackDown} />
+        <Rack
+          slots={rackSlots}
+          {variant}
+          {selected}
+          shuffling={shuffling && !app.reduceMotion}
+          draggingId={reorderDragId}
+          dropIndex={reorderTo}
+          ondown={onRackDown}
+        />
       </div>
       {#if !gameOver && placement.pending.length > 0}
         <button class="make" onclick={commit} disabled={busy || (preview !== null && !preview.legal)} aria-label={t('game.makeMove')}>✅</button>
diff --git a/ui/src/game/Rack.svelte b/ui/src/game/Rack.svelte
index 0a50e1b..6a11f3b 100644
--- a/ui/src/game/Rack.svelte
+++ b/ui/src/game/Rack.svelte
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
     variant,
     selected,
     shuffling = false,
+    draggingId = null,
+    dropIndex = null,
     ondown,
   }: {
     // Each slot carries a stable id that travels with its tile through a shuffle, so the
@@ -17,12 +19,18 @@
     variant: Variant;
     selected: number | null;
     shuffling?: boolean;
+    // While a rack tile is being dragged to reorder it, draggingId is its id (hidden here —
+    // the drag ghost stands in) and dropIndex is the slot where a gap opens (Stage 17).
+    draggingId?: number | null;
+    dropIndex?: number | null;
     ondown: (e: PointerEvent, index: number) => void;
   } = $props();
 
   // Used slots are hidden (the rack shifts left, freeing room on the right for the
-  // MakeMove control); the slot still exists in the model for per-tile recall.
+  // MakeMove control); the slot still exists in the model for per-tile recall. While
+  // reordering, the dragged tile is lifted out (the ghost shows it).
   const visible = $derived(slots.filter((s) => !s.used));
+  const shown = $derived(draggingId == null ? visible : visible.filter((s) => s.id !== draggingId));
 
   // hop flies a tile to its shuffled position along a low parabola (apogee ≈ half a tile
   // height). The duration scales with the horizontal distance — i.e. the arc length — so
@@ -44,11 +52,12 @@
   }
 </script>
 
-<div class="rack" data-rack>
-  {#each visible as slot (slot.id)}
+<div class="rack" class:reordering={draggingId != null} data-rack>
+  {#each shown as slot, i (slot.id)}
     <button
       class="tile"
       class:selected={selected === slot.index}
+      class:shift={dropIndex != null && i >= dropIndex}
       data-rack-index={slot.index}
       animate:hop={shuffling}
       onpointerdown={(e) => ondown(e, slot.index)}
@@ -87,6 +96,14 @@
     outline: 3px solid var(--accent);
     outline-offset: -3px;
   }
+  /* While reordering, tiles at/after the drop slot slide right to open a gap there (one
+     tile width plus the rack gap), so the drop position is visible. */
+  .rack.reordering .tile {
+    transition: transform 0.14s ease;
+  }
+  .tile.shift {
+    transform: translateX(calc(100% + 5px));
+  }
   .letter {
     position: absolute;
     top: 8%;
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/placement.test.ts b/ui/src/lib/placement.test.ts
index c2efbc4..f46cb74 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/placement.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/placement.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
   rackView,
   recallAt,
   recallIndex,
+  reorderIndices,
   reset,
   toSubmit,
 } from './placement';
@@ -122,3 +123,12 @@ describe('placementFromHint', () => {
     expect(p.pending.map((t) => t.letter)).toEqual(['A']);
   });
 });
+
+describe('reorderIndices', () => {
+  it('lifts an element and drops it at the given slot among the others', () => {
+    expect(reorderIndices(4, 0, 2)).toEqual([1, 2, 0, 3]);
+    expect(reorderIndices(4, 3, 0)).toEqual([3, 0, 1, 2]);
+    expect(reorderIndices(4, 1, 1)).toEqual([0, 1, 2, 3]); // back to identity
+    expect(reorderIndices(3, 0, 99)).toEqual([1, 2, 0]); // slot clamped to the end
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/src/lib/placement.ts b/ui/src/lib/placement.ts
index cf8be3c..d38de1c 100644
--- a/ui/src/lib/placement.ts
+++ b/ui/src/lib/placement.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,19 @@ export function reset(p: Placement): Placement {
   return { ...p, pending: [] };
 }
 
+/**
+ * reorderIndices returns the permutation of [0, n) that lifts the element at `from` and
+ * drops it at slot `toSlot` among the remaining elements (clamped to a valid slot). It is
+ * applied in parallel to the rack letters and their stable ids when a tile is dragged to a
+ * new rack position.
+ */
+export function reorderIndices(n: number, from: number, toSlot: number): number[] {
+  const order: number[] = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) if (i !== from) order.push(i);
+  order.splice(Math.max(0, Math.min(toSlot, order.length)), 0, from);
+  return order;
+}
+
 /**
  * direction infers the play orientation from the pending tiles: H if they share a row,
  * V if they share a column, null if a single tile (ambiguous) or non-linear (invalid).