ONSET is a valid Scrabble word — 5 points
Yes. ONSET is accepted by every list we check: Collins, the North American lists and Words with Friends. It scores 5 points in Scrabble and 6 in Words with Friends.
Which word lists accept ONSET?
| 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: 30 / 100
Our own measure of how useful ONSET is to know. It scores 5 from 5 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 7.2% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for ONSET
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
onsetsChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How ONSET scores
Face value of the 5 tiles in ONSET, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| o | 1 | 8 |
| n | 1 | 6 |
| s | 1 | 4 |
| e | 1 | 12 |
| t | 1 | 6 |
Drawing exactly these 5 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 5,446.
What stands out about ONSET
- The same 5 tiles also spell 5 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 ONSET mean in Scrabble?
noun
The beginning or first stage of something, especially something unwelcome such as an illness, a storm, or an attack.
Onset points to the exact moment something starts to take hold rather than to its full development, which is why doctors talk about the onset of symptoms and meteorologists describe the onset of winter or a storm. In an older, more literal military sense, onset meant the first charge or assault against an enemy, and a trace of that forceful meaning still colors how the word is used today. Because it usually marks a shift from calm to trouble, onset is rarely used for pleasant beginnings and almost always signals that something is about to get harder. Doctors and researchers also use age of onset to compare when a condition typically first appears in different people.
How ONSET is used
Common in medical, weather, and general writing, almost always describing the beginning of something difficult or unwanted rather than something pleasant.
- The onset of the fever caught them by surprise.
- Farmers watched the sky for the onset of the storm.
- Doctors noted the early onset of the disease in younger patients.
- The sudden onset of rain sent everyone running for cover.
- Historians describe the onset of the war as swift and unexpected.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of ONSET and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Anagrams of ONSET
The 5 tiles of ONSET in a different order — 5 found.
Words starting with ONSET
5 longer words begin with ONSET.
Words ending in ONSET
1 words end in ONSET. Useful as a back hook: play ONSET onto a word already on the board.
Words with ONSET inside
1 words contain ONSET in the middle. Words that start with ONSET are listed separately above, so nothing is repeated.
Shorter words from the letters in ONSET
Showing 40 of 49. See all in the Word Finder
Common questions about ONSET
- Is ONSET valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts ONSET, where it scores 6 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is ONSET worth?
- ONSET is worth 5 points in Scrabble and 6 points in Words with Friends.
- What does ONSET mean?
- The beginning or first stage of something, especially something unwelcome such as an illness, a storm, or an attack.
- What letters can be added to ONSET?
- ONSET takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 5 letters of ONSET:
Open ONSET in the Word Finder