Skip to content
UnscrambleWords

four-letter word · 5 points

Is DEAR a Scrabble Word?

Yes, DEAR is a valid Scrabble word. It is used as an adjective, a noun and an adverb, most often meaning “dearly loved”.

Quick answer

Is DEAR a valid Scrabble word?

Yes. DEAR is a valid 4-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 5 points in Scrabble and 5 points in Words With Friends, and it has 5 anagrams: READ, DARE, ARED, EARD, RADE.

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
4
Scrabble
5 pts
Words With Friends
5 pts
Anagrams
5
Familiarity
100th percentile

DEAR meaning and definition

DEAR has 4 common senses and works as an adjective, a noun and an adverb. The most common meaning is listed first.

DEAR as an adjective

  1. Dearly loved.
  2. With or in a close or intimate relationship.

DEAR as a noun

  1. A beloved person; used as terms of endearment.

DEAR as an adverb

  1. With affection.

DEAR Scrabble score and Words With Friends points

DEAR scores 5 in Scrabble and 5 in Words With Friends. The highest-value tile is D, worth 2 in Scrabble.

Letter-by-letter tile values

LetterScrabbleWords With Friends
D22
E11
A11
R11
Total55

DEAR on premium squares

On a double word square DEAR scores 10 in Scrabble; on a triple word square, 15. Putting D on a triple letter square instead adds 4 points. Its face value is low, so placement matters more than the tiles: land it across a word square to make it pay. At 4 letters it fits tight spots on a crowded board.

Rearranging the letters of DEAR

5 words use exactly the same 4 letters as DEAR. See all anagrams of DEAR.

Shorter words hiding in DEAR

The letters D, E, A, R make 16 shorter words, up to 3 letters long. Most common first. Unscramble DEAR: all 16 words.

  • red4
  • ear3
  • ad3
  • era3
  • ar2
  • er2
  • rad4
  • re2
  • are3
  • da3
  • de3
  • ea2
  • ed3
  • ae2
  • ard4
  • dae4

Words like DEAR

One-letter changes to DEAR, useful for word ladders and board hooks.

Change one letter in DEAR

Add one letter to DEAR

  • dewar9
  • debar8
  • deary9
  • drear6
  • deair6
  • deare6
  • dearn6
  • dears6
  • denar6

Remove one letter from DEAR

  • ear3

More 4-letter words starting with DE

DEAR word facts

DEAR is a 4-letter word with 4 distinct letters: 2 vowels (E and A) and 2 consonants. It starts with D and ends with R. By corpus frequency, DEAR is among the top 1% most familiar words in the dictionary.

Holding the letters D, E, A, R on your rack? The word unscrambler lists every word they make, sorted by score, and the anagram solver finds words that use all 4 of them. To check another word before you play it, use the Scrabble word checker.

Explore more words like DEAR

4 letter wordsEvery 4-letter wordWords starting with DBrowse by first letterWords ending in RBrowse by last letterUnscramble DEAREvery word from these lettersAnagrams of DEARWords using all its lettersScrabble word finderBest play from your rackWord unscramblerEvery word from any lettersAnagram solverWords using all your letters

More to explore

More anagrams

More letters to unscramble

Popular word checks

The words players look up most on UnscrambleWords.

Is it a Scrabble word?

Popular anagrams

Popular letters to unscramble

DEAR Scrabble word FAQ

Is DEAR a Scrabble word?

Yes. DEAR is a valid 4-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 5 points in Scrabble and 5 points in Words With Friends before premium squares.

What does DEAR mean?

DEAR is used as an adjective, a noun and an adverb. Its most common meaning is “dearly loved”.

How many points is DEAR worth in Scrabble?

DEAR is worth 5 points in Scrabble: D (2) + E (1) + A (1) + R (1). On a double word square it scores 10, and on a triple word square 15.

How many points is DEAR in Words With Friends?

DEAR is worth 5 points in Words With Friends, which uses different tile values from Scrabble.

What are the anagrams of DEAR?

DEAR has 5 anagrams: READ, DARE, ARED, EARD, RADE. Each uses exactly the same letters.

What words can you make from the letters in DEAR?

You can make 16 shorter words from the letters in DEAR, including RED, EAR, AD and ERA.

Definitions from Princeton University’s WordNet. Check another word.