NEAL is valid in Collins, not in North America — 4 points
It depends on the list you play by. NEAL 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 4 points. Words with Friends does not accept it either.
Which word lists accept NEAL?
| 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: 31 / 100
Our own measure of how useful NEAL is to know. It scores 4 from 4 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 7.8% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for NEAL
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
nealsChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How NEAL scores
Face value of the 4 tiles in NEAL, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| n | 1 | 6 |
| e | 1 | 12 |
| a | 1 | 9 |
| l | 1 | 4 |
Drawing exactly these 4 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 1,513.
What stands out about NEAL
- The same 4 tiles also spell 3 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 NEAL mean in Scrabble?
verb
technical
To heat metal and cool it gradually in order to soften and temper it, a shortened form of anneal.
Smiths neal metal by warming it until it glows and then letting it cool slowly, which relieves internal stress and makes the piece easier to shape. The word drops the first syllable of anneal, the same process used today under its fuller name.
How NEAL is used
An older, shortened form found mainly in historical or dialect craft writing.
- The smith would neal the blade before hammering it further.
- They neal the wire so it bends without snapping.
- He learned to neal metal from his grandfather.
- The glass was left to neal slowly overnight.
- Cooling too fast undoes all the work of nealing.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of NEAL and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Anagrams of NEAL
The 4 tiles of NEAL in a different order — 3 found.
Words starting with NEAL
3 longer words begin with NEAL.
Words ending in NEAL
Showing 24 of 31 words that end in NEAL. Useful as a back hook: play NEAL onto a word already on the board.
Words with NEAL inside
Showing 24 of 44 words that contain NEAL somewhere in the middle. Words that start with NEAL are listed separately above, so nothing is repeated.
Shorter words from the letters in NEAL
Common questions about NEAL
- Is NEAL valid in Words with Friends?
- No. Words with Friends keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries, and NEAL is not in it.
- How many points is NEAL worth?
- NEAL is worth 4 points in Scrabble and 6 points in Words with Friends.
- What does NEAL mean?
- To heat metal and cool it gradually in order to soften and temper it, a shortened form of anneal.
- What letters can be added to NEAL?
- NEAL takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 4 letters of NEAL:
Open NEAL in the Word Finder