Skip to content
UnscrambleWords

three-letter word · 6 points

Is LAY a Scrabble Word?

Yes, LAY is a valid Scrabble word. It is used as a verb and an adjective, most often meaning “put into a certain place or abstract location”.

Quick answer

Is LAY a valid Scrabble word?

Yes. LAY is a valid 3-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 6 points in Scrabble and 6 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
3
Scrabble
6 pts
Words With Friends
6 pts
Anagrams
0
Familiarity
100th percentile

LAY meaning and definition

LAY has 4 common senses and works as a verb and an adjective. The most common meaning is listed first.

LAY as a verb

  1. Put into a certain place or abstract location.
  2. Put in a horizontal position.
  3. Prepare or position for action or operation.

LAY as an adjective

  1. Characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy.

LAY Scrabble score and Words With Friends points

LAY scores 6 in Scrabble and 6 in Words With Friends. The highest-value tile is Y, worth 4 in Scrabble.

Letter-by-letter tile values

LetterScrabbleWords With Friends
L12
A11
Y43
Total66

LAY on premium squares

On a double word square LAY scores 12 in Scrabble; on a triple word square, 18. Putting Y on a triple letter square instead adds 8 points. Its face value is low, so placement matters more than the tiles: land it across a word square to make it pay. At 3 letters it fits tight spots on a crowded board.

Anagrams of LAY

No other word uses exactly the letters in LAY.

Unscramble LAY: 4 words from its letters

The letters L, A, Y make 4 shorter words, up to 2 letters long. Most common first.

  • al2
  • la2
  • ay5
  • ya5

Words like LAY

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

Change one letter in LAY

Add one letter to LAY

  • play9
  • lady8
  • lazy16
  • clay9
  • lacy9
  • flay10
  • slay7
  • alay7
  • blay9
  • laky11
  • lays7

Remove one letter from LAY

  • la2
  • ay5

More 3-letter words starting with LA

  • lap5
  • lag4
  • law6
  • lam5
  • lad4
  • lax10
  • lab5
  • lat3
  • lac5
  • lah6
  • lav6
  • lar3
  • las3

LAY word facts

LAY is a 3-letter word with 3 distinct letters: 1 vowel (A) and 2 consonants. It starts with L and ends with Y. By corpus frequency, LAY is among the top 1% most familiar words in the dictionary.

Holding the letters L, A, Y on your rack? The word unscrambler lists every word they make, sorted by score, and the anagram solver finds words that use all 3 of them. To check another word before you play it, use the Scrabble word checker.

Explore more words like LAY

More to explore

Popular word checks

The words players look up most on UnscrambleWords.

LAY Scrabble word FAQ

Is LAY a Scrabble word?

Yes. LAY is a valid 3-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 6 points in Scrabble and 6 points in Words With Friends before premium squares.

What does LAY mean?

LAY is used as a verb and an adjective. Its most common meaning is “put into a certain place or abstract location”.

How many points is LAY worth in Scrabble?

LAY is worth 6 points in Scrabble: L (1) + A (1) + Y (4). On a double word square it scores 12, and on a triple word square 18.

How many points is LAY in Words With Friends?

LAY is worth 6 points in Words With Friends, which uses different tile values from Scrabble.

Does LAY have any anagrams?

No. No other word uses exactly the letters in LAY, but 4 shorter words can be made from them.

What words can you make from the letters in LAY?

You can make 4 shorter words from the letters in LAY, including AL, LA, AY and YA.

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