BACKSTAY is a valid Scrabble word — 19 points
Yes. BACKSTAY is accepted by every list we check: Collins, the North American lists and Words with Friends. It scores 19 points in Scrabble and 20 in Words with Friends.
Which word lists accept BACKSTAY?
| Official Scrabble Players DictionaryUSA, Canada, Thailand | Valid |
|---|---|
| Official Tournament and Club Word ListUSA, Canada, Thailand | Valid |
| Collins Scrabble WordsEnglish in most countries | Valid |
| Words with FriendsZynga word list | Valid |
Word power: 45 / 100
Our own measure of how useful BACKSTAY is to know. It scores 19 from 8 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 4.4% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for BACKSTAY
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
backstaysChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How BACKSTAY scores
Face value of the 8 tiles in BACKSTAY, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| b | 1 | 2 |
| a | 2 | 9 |
| c | 1 | 2 |
| k | 1 | 1 |
| s | 1 | 4 |
| t | 1 | 6 |
| y | 1 | 2 |
Longer than a 7-tile rack, so BACKSTAY has to be built on the board across turns.
What does BACKSTAY mean in Scrabble?
noun
nautical
A rope or wire that runs from the top of a mast down to the stern or the sides of a ship.
The backstay stops the mast from falling forward under the pull of the sails. On a racing yacht sailors tighten it to change the shape of the mainsail. It is one of the main parts of the standing rigging.
How BACKSTAY is used
Nautical term used in sailing and ship rigging.
- The crew tightened the backstay before the race.
- A snapped backstay put the mast at risk.
- He leaned on the backstay while watching the horizon.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of BACKSTAY and 3 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Words starting with BACKSTAY
1 longer words begin with BACKSTAY.
Shorter words from the letters in BACKSTAY
Showing 40 of 117. See all in the Word Finder
Common questions about BACKSTAY
- Is BACKSTAY valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts BACKSTAY, where it scores 20 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is BACKSTAY worth?
- BACKSTAY is worth 19 points in Scrabble and 20 points in Words with Friends.
- What does BACKSTAY mean?
- A rope or wire that runs from the top of a mast down to the stern or the sides of a ship.
- What letters can be added to BACKSTAY?
- BACKSTAY takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 8 letters of BACKSTAY:
Open BACKSTAY in the Word Finder