CARIES is a valid Scrabble word — 8 points
Yes. CARIES is accepted by every list we check: Collins, the North American lists and Words with Friends. It scores 8 points in Scrabble and 9 in Words with Friends.
Which word lists accept CARIES?
| 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: 29 / 100
Our own measure of how useful CARIES is to know. It scores 8 from 6 tiles, takes 0 hooks, and its letters make up 7.0% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for CARIES
No single letter turns CARIES into another word.
How CARIES scores
Face value of the 6 tiles in CARIES, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| c | 1 | 2 |
| a | 1 | 9 |
| r | 1 | 6 |
| i | 1 | 9 |
| e | 1 | 12 |
| s | 1 | 4 |
Drawing exactly these 6 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 25,550.
What stands out about CARIES
- The same 6 tiles also spell 2 other words, so the rack is worth re-reading before you play it.
Counted from the four word lists we hold, not taken from anywhere else. How we calculate things
What does CARIES mean in Scrabble?
noun
medical
The decay and gradual breakdown of a tooth, or, more broadly, of bone, caused by acids that dissolve its hard structure.
Dental caries begins when bacteria in the mouth feed on sugars and produce acid that slowly wears away the hard enamel covering a tooth, eventually reaching the softer layers beneath if left untreated. The same word describes a similar process affecting bone, where infection or disease causes it to crumble and disintegrate rather than staying solid and intact. Although caries ends in s, it behaves as a single, uncountable condition rather than a plural, much like news or measles. Dentists and doctors use the term in clinical settings, while everyday speech usually prefers the more familiar phrase tooth decay.
How CARIES is used
A standard medical and dental term, more technical than the everyday phrase tooth decay.
- The X-ray revealed early caries on two back teeth.
- Untreated caries can spread deep into the tooth and cause pain.
- The dentist explained how sugary drinks encourage caries to form.
- Caries of the bone can follow a long-standing infection.
- Regular brushing helps prevent caries from developing.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of CARIES and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Anagrams of CARIES
The 6 tiles of CARIES in a different order — 2 found.
Shorter words from the letters in CARIES
Showing 40 of 111. See all in the Word Finder
Common questions about CARIES
- Is CARIES valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts CARIES, where it scores 9 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is CARIES worth?
- CARIES is worth 8 points in Scrabble and 9 points in Words with Friends.
- What does CARIES mean?
- The decay and gradual breakdown of a tooth, or, more broadly, of bone, caused by acids that dissolve its hard structure.
- What letters can be added to CARIES?
- No single letter can be added to CARIES to make another word.
Every word you can build from the 6 letters of CARIES:
Open CARIES in the Word Finder