MOTU is valid in Collins, not in North America — 6 points
It depends on the list you play by. MOTU 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 6 points. Words with Friends does accept it.
Which word lists accept MOTU?
| 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 | Valid |
Word power: 29 / 100
Our own measure of how useful MOTU is to know. It scores 6 from 4 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 5.0% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for MOTU
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
motusChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How MOTU scores
Face value of the 4 tiles in MOTU, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| m | 1 | 2 |
| o | 1 | 8 |
| t | 1 | 6 |
| u | 1 | 4 |
Drawing exactly these 4 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 10,212.
What does MOTU mean in Scrabble?
noun
regional
A small islet formed on the rim of a coral reef, especially in the Pacific.
A motu is the low, sandy strip of land that builds up on a reef surrounding a lagoon, common in the atolls of the Pacific Ocean. The word comes from Polynesian languages and is used in English descriptions of such islands.
How MOTU is used
Used mainly in writing about Pacific atolls and islands; rare outside that context.
- They paddled across the lagoon to a tiny motu covered in palms.
- Each motu around the atoll had its own narrow beach.
- The resort was built on a private motu just offshore.
- A storm had washed sand from one motu onto the reef beside it.
- Only a handful of people lived on the largest motu.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of MOTU and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Words starting with MOTU
3 longer words begin with MOTU.
Shorter words from the letters in MOTU
Common questions about MOTU
- Is MOTU valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts MOTU, where it scores 8 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is MOTU worth?
- MOTU is worth 6 points in Scrabble and 8 points in Words with Friends.
- What does MOTU mean?
- A small islet formed on the rim of a coral reef, especially in the Pacific.
- What letters can be added to MOTU?
- MOTU takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 4 letters of MOTU:
Open MOTU in the Word Finder