KOTOW is a valid Scrabble word — 12 points
Yes. KOTOW is accepted by every list we check: Collins, the North American lists and Words with Friends. It scores 12 points in Scrabble and 12 in Words with Friends.
Which word lists accept KOTOW?
| 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: 37 / 100
Our own measure of how useful KOTOW is to know. It scores 12 from 5 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 5.0% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for KOTOW
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
kotowsChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How KOTOW scores
Face value of the 5 tiles in KOTOW, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| k | 1 | 1 |
| o | 2 | 8 |
| t | 1 | 6 |
| w | 1 | 2 |
Drawing exactly these 5 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 224,070.
What does KOTOW mean in Scrabble?
verb
To act with excessive and fawning submission toward someone in authority; originally, to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground as a formal Chinese gesture of deep respect.
The word kotow began as a literal court ritual in imperial China, where a subject would kneel and press the forehead to the floor before the emperor to show total submission. English borrowed kotow and, over time, stretched its meaning to cover any exaggerated, servile deference shown to a powerful person, without any actual kneeling involved. A modern writer might say an official chose to kotow to a more powerful colleague rather than risk disagreement. The figurative sense of kotow now dominates English use, and the original ceremonial meaning survives mainly in historical description.
How KOTOW is used
Used mainly in its figurative sense, often critically, to describe excessive deference toward a person in power.
- Critics said the minister continued to kotow to the larger neighbouring state.
- He refused to kotow to the new manager just to keep his job.
- The envoy was expected to kotow before the emperor at court.
- She would not kotow to pressure from the board.
- Historians describe how visiting diplomats were required to kotow at the imperial court.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of KOTOW and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Words starting with KOTOW
5 longer words begin with KOTOW.
Shorter words from the letters in KOTOW
Common questions about KOTOW
- Is KOTOW valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts KOTOW, where it scores 12 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is KOTOW worth?
- KOTOW is worth 12 points in Scrabble and 12 points in Words with Friends.
- What does KOTOW mean?
- To act with excessive and fawning submission toward someone in authority; originally, to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground as a formal Chinese gesture of deep respect.
- What letters can be added to KOTOW?
- KOTOW takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 5 letters of KOTOW:
Open KOTOW in the Word Finder