TANTO is a valid Scrabble word — 5 points
Yes. TANTO 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 TANTO?
| 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 TANTO is to know. It scores 5 from 5 tiles, takes 1 hook, and its letters make up 7.0% of the bag. How this number is calculated
Hooks for TANTO
Front hooks — 0
None.
Back hooks — 1
tantosChecked against OSPD, TWL, CSW, WWF. Takes an S, so it hooks onto plurals easily.
How TANTO scores
Face value of the 5 tiles in TANTO, before any board multiplier.
Tiles you need
| Letter | Needed | In the bag |
|---|---|---|
| t | 2 | 6 |
| a | 1 | 9 |
| n | 1 | 6 |
| o | 1 | 8 |
Drawing exactly these 5 tiles as an opening rack: 1 in 11,618.
What does TANTO mean in Scrabble?
noun
historical
A short, single-edged Japanese dagger or knife, traditionally carried by samurai as a companion weapon alongside a longer sword.
A tanto is shorter than a full sword but built with the same careful forging as one, designed for close combat, utility, and, in the samurai tradition, as a backup weapon when a longer blade could not be used. Samurai commonly wore a tanto together with a katana as part of a matched pair of weapons, and the blade later became a prized object valued for its craftsmanship as much as its use in battle. Modern martial arts that teach traditional Japanese weapons still train students in tanto techniques, and reproduction tantos are collected today as historical pieces. The word is also occasionally seen in Italian musical directions, an entirely unrelated use meaning too much.
How TANTO is used
Used in historical and martial arts contexts for this traditional Japanese blade, distinct from an unrelated Italian musical term spelled the same way.
- The samurai carried a tanto tucked into his belt beside the longer sword.
- The museum displayed a beautifully forged tanto from the Edo period.
- Students practised tanto defence drills using a wooden training blade.
- Collectors prize an authentic antique tanto for its polished steel.
- He kept a modern reproduction tanto mounted on the wall.
Written for this site: 1 meaning of TANTO and 5 example sentences, not copied from a published dictionary.
Words starting with TANTO
3 longer words begin with TANTO.
Words ending in TANTO
1 words end in TANTO. Useful as a back hook: play TANTO onto a word already on the board.
Words with TANTO inside
1 words contain TANTO in the middle. Words that start with TANTO are listed separately above, so nothing is repeated.
Shorter words from the letters in TANTO
Common questions about TANTO
- Is TANTO valid in Words with Friends?
- Yes. Words with Friends accepts TANTO, where it scores 6 points. That game keeps its own list, separate from the Scrabble dictionaries.
- How many points is TANTO worth?
- TANTO is worth 5 points in Scrabble and 6 points in Words with Friends.
- What does TANTO mean?
- A short, single-edged Japanese dagger or knife, traditionally carried by samurai as a companion weapon alongside a longer sword.
- What letters can be added to TANTO?
- TANTO takes 1 hook: 0 in front and 1 at the end.
Every word you can build from the 5 letters of TANTO:
Open TANTO in the Word Finder