eight-letter word · 11 points
Is CARDINAL a Scrabble Word?
Yes, CARDINAL is a valid Scrabble word. It is used as an adjective and a noun, most often meaning “serving as an essential component”.
Quick answer
Is CARDINAL a valid Scrabble word?
Yes. CARDINAL is a valid 8-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 11 points in Scrabble and 14 points in Words With Friends.
Checked against this site’s open English word list. Tournament play uses the official NWL or Collins lists, which can differ on rare words and inflections.
- Letters
- 8
- Scrabble
- 11 pts
- Words With Friends
- 14 pts
- Anagrams
- 0
- Familiarity
- 100th percentile
CARDINAL meaning and definition
CARDINAL has 4 common senses and works as an adjective and a noun. The most common meaning is listed first.
CARDINAL as an adjective
- Serving as an essential component.
- Being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order.
CARDINAL as a noun
- (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes.
- The number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order.
CARDINAL Scrabble score and Words With Friends points
CARDINAL scores 11 in Scrabble and 14 in Words With Friends. The highest-value tile is C, worth 3 in Scrabble.
Letter-by-letter tile values
| Letter | Scrabble | Words With Friends |
|---|---|---|
| C | 3 | 4 |
| A | 1 | 1 |
| R | 1 | 1 |
| D | 2 | 2 |
| I | 1 | 1 |
| N | 1 | 2 |
| A | 1 | 1 |
| L | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 11 | 14 |
CARDINAL on premium squares
On a double word square CARDINAL scores 22 in Scrabble; on a triple word square, 33. Putting C on a triple letter square instead adds 6 points. Its middling value makes it a flexible play for scoring steadily without breaking up a strong rack. Played from a full rack, all 8 letters earn the 50-point Scrabble bingo bonus.
Anagrams of CARDINAL
No other word uses exactly the letters in CARDINAL.
Unscramble CARDINAL: 158 words from its letters
The letters C, A, R, D, I, N, A, L make 158 shorter words, up to 7 letters long. Most common first.
- land5
- air3
- radical10
- aid4
- nail4
- din4
- drain6
- can5
- card7
- raid5
- rail4
- acid7
- dial5
- in2
- rain4
- arc5
- radial7
- darn5
- ail3
- alar4
- canal7
- lard5
- li2
- car5
- lad4
- racial8
- ad3
- carnal8
- clad7
- lid4
- nadir6
- aa2
- acinar8
- acrid8
- ai2
- al2
- ala3
- ana3
- anal4
- anil4
- ar2
- arid5
- arnica8
- cad6
- cairn7
- carina8
- dinar6
- id3
- la2
- lanai5
- laniard8
- lari4
- lira4
- naiad6
- rad4
- rancid9
- rand5
- rial4
- clan6
- laid5
- lair4
- liar4
- rid4
- acarid9
- ain3
- an2
- ani3
- aria4
- aril4
- cain6
- canard9
- canid8
- cardia9
- carinal9
- cid6
- cran6
- cranial9
- da3
- dal4
- dali5
- dari5
- lac5
- laic6
- laird6
- larn4
- liana5
- lidar6
- lin3
- linac7
- lind5
- na2
- nada5
- naira5
- narc6
- nard5
- narial6
- nicad8
- nil3
- radian7
- rana4
- rani4
- ranid6
- rind5
- aal3
- acai6
- acari7
- aia3
- aida5
- airn4
- alan4
- aland6
- alcid8
- aldrin7
- and4
- ard4
- arna4
- caa5
- cadi7
- caid7
- caird8
Words like CARDINAL
One-letter changes to CARDINAL, useful for word ladders and board hooks.
Add one letter to CARDINAL
- cardinals12
Remove one letter from CARDINAL
- carinal9
More 8-letter words starting with CA
- campaign15
- catapult12
- capriole12
- calendar11
- catholic15
- cautious10
- capacity17
- catching16
- cakewalk21
- castrate10
- causeway16
- cavalier13
- careless10
- carriage11
- casually13
- category14
- calculus12
- calmness12
CARDINAL word facts
CARDINAL is an 8-letter word with 7 distinct letters: 3 vowels (A and I) and 5 consonants, with A repeated. It starts with C and ends with L. By corpus frequency, CARDINAL is among the top 1% most familiar words in the dictionary.
Holding the letters C, A, R, D, I, N, A, L on your rack? The word unscrambler lists every word they make, sorted by score, and the anagram solver finds words that use all 8 of them. To check another word before you play it, use the Scrabble word checker.
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CARDINAL Scrabble word FAQ
Is CARDINAL a Scrabble word?
Yes. CARDINAL is a valid 8-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 11 points in Scrabble and 14 points in Words With Friends before premium squares.
What does CARDINAL mean?
CARDINAL is used as an adjective and a noun. Its most common meaning is “serving as an essential component”.
How many points is CARDINAL worth in Scrabble?
CARDINAL is worth 11 points in Scrabble: C (3) + A (1) + R (1) + D (2) + I (1) + N (1) + A (1) + L (1). On a double word square it scores 22, and on a triple word square 33.
How many points is CARDINAL in Words With Friends?
CARDINAL is worth 14 points in Words With Friends, which uses different tile values from Scrabble.
Does CARDINAL have any anagrams?
No. No other word uses exactly the letters in CARDINAL, but 158 shorter words can be made from them.
What words can you make from the letters in CARDINAL?
You can make 158 shorter words from the letters in CARDINAL, including LAND, AIR, RADICAL and AID.
Definitions from Princeton University’s WordNet. Check another word.