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five-letter word · 8 points

Is SHELL a Scrabble Word?

Yes, SHELL is a valid Scrabble word. It is used as a noun and a verb, most often meaning “ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun”.

Quick answer

Is SHELL a valid Scrabble word?

Yes. SHELL is a valid 5-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 8 points in Scrabble and 9 points in Words With Friends, and it has 1 anagram: HELLS.

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
5
Scrabble
8 pts
Words With Friends
9 pts
Anagrams
1
Familiarity
100th percentile

SHELL meaning and definition

SHELL has 4 common senses and works as a noun and a verb. The most common meaning is listed first.

SHELL as a noun

  1. Ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun.
  2. The material that forms the hard outer covering of many animals.
  3. Hard outer covering or case of certain organisms such as arthropods and turtles.

SHELL as a verb

  1. Use explosives on.

SHELL Scrabble score and Words With Friends points

SHELL scores 8 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
E11
L12
L12
Total89

SHELL on premium squares

On a double word square SHELL scores 16 in Scrabble; on a triple word square, 24. 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 5 letters it fits tight spots on a crowded board.

Rearranging the letters of SHELL

1 word uses exactly the same 5 letters as SHELL. See all anagrams of SHELL.

  • hells8

Unscramble SHELL: 15 words from its letters

The letters S, H, E, L, L make 15 shorter words, up to 4 letters long. Most common first.

  • sell4
  • hell7
  • el2
  • he5
  • ell3
  • es2
  • eh5
  • ehs6
  • ells4
  • els3
  • hes6
  • les3
  • sel3
  • sh5
  • she6

Words like SHELL

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

Change one letter in SHELL

Add one letter to SHELL

  • shells9
  • shelly12

Remove one letter from SHELL

  • sell4
  • hell7

More 5-letter words starting with SH

SHELL word facts

SHELL is a 5-letter word with 4 distinct letters: 1 vowel (E) and 4 consonants, with L repeated. It starts with S and ends with L. By corpus frequency, SHELL is among the top 1% most familiar words in the dictionary.

Holding the letters S, H, E, L, L on your rack? The word unscrambler lists every word they make, sorted by score, and the anagram solver finds words that use all 5 of them. To check another word before you play it, use the Scrabble word checker.

Explore more words like SHELL

5 letter wordsEvery 5-letter wordWords starting with SBrowse by first letterWords ending in LBrowse by last letterAnagrams of SHELLWords using all its lettersScrabble word finderBest play from your rackWord unscramblerEvery word from any lettersAnagram solverWords using all your letters

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SHELL Scrabble word FAQ

Is SHELL a Scrabble word?

Yes. SHELL is a valid 5-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 8 points in Scrabble and 9 points in Words With Friends before premium squares.

What does SHELL mean?

SHELL is used as a noun and a verb. Its most common meaning is “ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun”.

How many points is SHELL worth in Scrabble?

SHELL is worth 8 points in Scrabble: S (1) + H (4) + E (1) + L (1) + L (1). On a double word square it scores 16, and on a triple word square 24.

How many points is SHELL in Words With Friends?

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

What are the anagrams of SHELL?

SHELL has 1 anagram: HELLS. Each uses exactly the same letters.

What words can you make from the letters in SHELL?

You can make 15 shorter words from the letters in SHELL, including SELL, HELL, EL and HE.

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