HONGI is a valid Scrabble word — 9 points
Yes. HONGI is accepted by every list we check: Collins, the North American lists and Words with Friends. It scores 9 points in Scrabble and 10 in Words with Friends.
Which word lists accept HONGI?
| 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: 33 / 100
Our own measure of how useful HONGI is to know. It scores 9 from 5 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 5.6% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for HONGI
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
hongisChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How HONGI scores
Face value of the 5 tiles in HONGI, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| h | 1 | 2 |
| o | 1 | 8 |
| n | 1 | 6 |
| g | 1 | 3 |
| i | 1 | 9 |
Drawing exactly these 5 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 29,046.
What stands out about HONGI
- The same 5 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 HONGI mean in Scrabble?
noun
New Zealand
A traditional Māori greeting in which two people press their noses and foreheads together while breathing in at the same moment.
A hongi is exchanged instead of, or alongside, a handshake at many formal Māori gatherings, weddings, and ceremonies on a marae. The pressing of noses and the shared breath are traditionally understood as an exchange of the breath of life, joining the two people for the moment of the greeting. Visitors to a marae are often greeted with a hongi as a mark of welcome, and the gesture is treated with real respect rather than as a casual custom. The word can also be used as a verb, so two people are said to hongi when they greet each other this way.
How HONGI is used
New Zealand English; used both as a noun for the greeting itself and as a verb for the act of performing it.
- The elder offered a hongi to each visitor at the gate of the marae.
- She had never done a hongi before and felt nervous leaning forward.
- They exchanged a hongi before the formal speeches began.
- To hongi properly, you lean in slowly and let your host set the pace.
- Photographs from the ceremony showed the two leaders sharing a hongi.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of HONGI and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Anagrams of HONGI
The 5 tiles of HONGI in a different order — 2 found.
Words starting with HONGI
5 longer words begin with HONGI.
Words with HONGI inside
20 words contain HONGI in the middle. Words that start with HONGI are listed separately above, so nothing is repeated.
Shorter words from the letters in HONGI
Common questions about HONGI
- Is HONGI valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts HONGI, where it scores 10 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is HONGI worth?
- HONGI is worth 9 points in Scrabble and 10 points in Words with Friends.
- What does HONGI mean?
- A traditional Māori greeting in which two people press their noses and foreheads together while breathing in at the same moment.
- What letters can be added to HONGI?
- HONGI takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 5 letters of HONGI:
Open HONGI in the Word Finder