Skip to content
UnscrambleWords

four-letter word · 9 points

Is SHAM a Scrabble Word?

Yes, SHAM is a valid Scrabble word. It is used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, most often meaning “something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be”.

Quick answer

Is SHAM a valid Scrabble word?

Yes. SHAM is a valid 4-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 9 points in Scrabble and 9 points in Words With Friends, and it has 2 anagrams: MASH, HAMS.

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
9 pts
Words With Friends
9 pts
Anagrams
2
Familiarity
99th percentile

SHAM meaning and definition

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

SHAM as a noun

  1. Something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be.
  2. A person who makes deceitful pretenses.

SHAM as a verb

  1. Make a pretence of.

SHAM as an adjective

  1. Adopted in order to deceive.

SHAM Scrabble score and Words With Friends points

SHAM scores 9 in Scrabble and 9 in Words With Friends. The highest-value tile is H, worth 4 in Scrabble.

Letter-by-letter tile values

LetterScrabbleWords With Friends
S11
H43
A11
M34
Total99

SHAM on premium squares

On a double word square SHAM scores 18 in Scrabble; on a triple word square, 27. Putting H on a triple letter square instead adds 8 points. Its middling value makes it a flexible play for scoring steadily without breaking up a strong rack. At 4 letters it fits tight spots on a crowded board.

Anagrams of SHAM

2 words use exactly the same 4 letters as SHAM.

Unscramble SHAM: 15 words from its letters

The letters S, H, A, M make 15 shorter words, up to 3 letters long. Most common first.

  • ash6
  • as2
  • ham8
  • ma4
  • am4
  • ha5
  • hm7
  • sam5
  • ah5
  • ahs6
  • has6
  • mas5
  • sh5
  • sha6
  • sma5

Words like SHAM

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

Change one letter in SHAM

  • slam6
  • seam6
  • shag8
  • spam8
  • scam8
  • shad8
  • shaw10
  • shim9
  • shah10
  • shan7
  • shay10
  • wham12
  • cham11
  • shat7
  • swam9

Add one letter to SHAM

  • shame10
  • shawm13
  • shalm10
  • shama10
  • shams10

Remove one letter from SHAM

  • ham8
  • sam5
  • sha6

More 4-letter words starting with SH

SHAM word facts

SHAM is a 4-letter word with 4 distinct letters: 1 vowel (A) and 3 consonants. It starts with S and ends with M. By corpus frequency, SHAM is among the top 1% most familiar words in the dictionary.

Holding the letters S, H, A, M 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 SHAM

More to explore

Popular word checks

The words players look up most on UnscrambleWords.

SHAM Scrabble word FAQ

Is SHAM a Scrabble word?

Yes. SHAM is a valid 4-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 9 points in Scrabble and 9 points in Words With Friends before premium squares.

What does SHAM mean?

SHAM is used as a noun, a verb and an adjective. Its most common meaning is “something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be”.

How many points is SHAM worth in Scrabble?

SHAM is worth 9 points in Scrabble: S (1) + H (4) + A (1) + M (3). On a double word square it scores 18, and on a triple word square 27.

How many points is SHAM in Words With Friends?

SHAM is worth 9 points in Words With Friends, which uses different tile values from Scrabble.

What are the anagrams of SHAM?

SHAM has 2 anagrams: MASH, HAMS. Each uses exactly the same letters.

What words can you make from the letters in SHAM?

You can make 15 shorter words from the letters in SHAM, including ASH, AS, HAM and MA.

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