OBS is valid in Collins, not in North America — 5 points

It depends on the list you play by. OBS 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 5 points. Words with Friends does not accept it either.

Which word lists accept OBS?

Word power: 51 / 100

Our own measure of how useful OBS is to know. It scores 5 from 3 tiles, takes 14 hooks, and its letters make up 4.7% of the bag. How this number is calculated

Hooks for OBS

Checked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF.

How OBS scores

Face value of the 3 tiles in OBS, before any board multiplier.

Tiles you need

Drawing exactly these 3 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 2,527.

What stands out about OBS

• The same 3 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

Anagrams of OBS

The 3 tiles of OBS in a different order — 2 found.

Words starting with OBS

Showing 24 of 178 words that begin with OBS.

Words ending in OBS

Showing 24 of 58 words that end in OBS. Useful as a back hook: play OBS onto a word already on the board.

Words with OBS inside

Showing 24 of 91 words that contain OBS somewhere in the middle. Words that start with OBS are listed separately above, so nothing is repeated.

Shorter words from the letters in OBS

Common questions about OBS

Is OBS valid in Words with Friends?

No. Words with Friends keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries, and OBS is not in it.

How many points is OBS worth?

OBS is worth 5 points in Scrabble and 6 points in Words with Friends.

What letters can be added to OBS?

OBS takes 14 hooks: 14 in front and 0 at the end.