TANIST is a valid Scrabble word — 6 points
Yes. TANIST is accepted by every list we check: Collins, the North American lists and Words with Friends. It scores 6 points in Scrabble and 7 in Words with Friends.
Which word lists accept TANIST?
| 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: 29 / 100
Our own measure of how useful TANIST is to know. It scores 6 from 6 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 6.7% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for TANIST
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
tanistsChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How TANIST scores
Face value of the 6 tiles in TANIST, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| t | 2 | 6 |
| a | 1 | 9 |
| n | 1 | 6 |
| i | 1 | 9 |
| s | 1 | 4 |
Drawing exactly these 6 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 40,880.
What stands out about TANIST
- TANIST begins and ends with the same letter.
- The same 6 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 TANIST mean in Scrabble?
noun
historical
The heir apparent to a Celtic chief, typically elected from among his kinsmen during the chief's own lifetime.
Under the old Celtic system called tanistry, a chief's successor, the tanist, was not simply his eldest son but was chosen by the kin group, often from among adult male relatives, so that the strongest and most capable candidate would take over leadership. This differed sharply from strict hereditary succession by birth order, which is why historians of early Ireland and Scotland still use tanist when explaining how power actually passed between chiefs. The system gradually gave way to more conventional inheritance under English rule.
How TANIST is used
A historical term used mainly by scholars of early Irish and Scottish clan society.
- The clan gathered to name a new tanist while the old chief still lived.
- Under tanistry, the tanist was chosen for ability rather than birth order.
- His uncle, once the tanist, never lived to become chief himself.
- The historian explained how the office of tanist worked among the Irish clans.
- Rival kinsmen sometimes fought over who would be named tanist.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of TANIST and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Anagrams of TANIST
The 6 tiles of TANIST in a different order — 3 found.
Words starting with TANIST
3 longer words begin with TANIST.
Shorter words from the letters in TANIST
Showing 40 of 80. See all in the Word Finder
Common questions about TANIST
- Is TANIST valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts TANIST, where it scores 7 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is TANIST worth?
- TANIST is worth 6 points in Scrabble and 7 points in Words with Friends.
- What does TANIST mean?
- The heir apparent to a Celtic chief, typically elected from among his kinsmen during the chief's own lifetime.
- What letters can be added to TANIST?
- TANIST takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 6 letters of TANIST:
Open TANIST in the Word Finder