Know the relationship between word length and the numberof strikes your oppontent gets, and use it to your advantage. For example, when constructing a four-letter word, do a mental check that there are enough words with similar letters to make the word last eight attempts. You can be less diligent when creating longer words, but do try to swap out some tiles to change the word to a less common one where possible. Here's how many strikes you or your opponents will receive based on word length (four letters is the minimum you can play).

4 letters: 8 strikes
5 letters: 7 strikes
6 letters: 6 strikes
7 letters: 5 strikes
8 letters: 4 strikes