JHALA is valid in Collins, not in North America — 15 points
It depends on the list you play by. JHALA is in Collins, used in the UK and most of the world, but it is not in the North American lists — so in a US or Canadian game an opponent can challenge it off the board. Worth 15 points. Words with Friends does not accept it either.
Which word lists accept JHALA?
| Official Scrabble Players DictionaryUSA, Canada, Thailand | Not listed |
|---|---|
| Official Tournament and Club Word ListUSA, Canada, Thailand | Not listed |
| Collins Scrabble WordsEnglish in most countries | Valid |
| Words with FriendsZynga word list | Not listed |
Word power: 42 / 100
Our own measure of how useful JHALA is to know. It scores 15 from 5 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 5.0% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for JHALA
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
jhalasChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How JHALA scores
Face value of the 5 tiles in JHALA, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| j | 1 | 1 |
| h | 1 | 2 |
| a | 2 | 9 |
| l | 1 | 4 |
Drawing exactly these 5 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 261,415.
What does JHALA mean in Scrabble?
noun
music
A fast, rhythmic passage played on a plucked string instrument near the end of an Indian classical music performance.
Jhala names the rapid, percussive final section of a raga performance on instruments such as the sitar or sarod, built from quick strokes on the drone strings. Musicians use it to build excitement and bring a long, exploratory raga to an energetic close. The technique relies on rapid alternation between melody notes and the instrument's sympathetic or drone strings, producing a shimmering, driving effect. Listeners and musicians in the Hindustani classical tradition recognise jhala as a distinct and expected stage of a full performance.
How JHALA is used
A technical term used by musicians and listeners discussing Hindustani classical music rather than in general conversation.
- The sitarist closed the raga with a blistering jhala.
- Students practised the jhala for months before performing it.
- The audience applauded as the jhala reached its climax.
- His teacher demonstrated the correct hand speed for a jhala.
- A well-played jhala can transform a quiet raga into something thrilling.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of JHALA and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Words starting with JHALA
1 longer words begin with JHALA.
Shorter words from the letters in JHALA
Common questions about JHALA
- Is JHALA valid in Words with Friends?
- No. Words with Friends keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries, and JHALA is not in it.
- How many points is JHALA worth?
- JHALA is worth 15 points in Scrabble and 17 points in Words with Friends.
- What does JHALA mean?
- A fast, rhythmic passage played on a plucked string instrument near the end of an Indian classical music performance.
- What letters can be added to JHALA?
- JHALA takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 5 letters of JHALA:
Open JHALA in the Word Finder