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five-letter word · 9 points

Is TOUGH a Scrabble Word?

Yes, TOUGH is a valid Scrabble word. It is used as an adjective and a noun, most often meaning “not given to gentleness or sentimentality”.

Quick answer

Is TOUGH a valid Scrabble word?

Yes. TOUGH is a valid 5-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 9 points in Scrabble and 10 points in Words With Friends, and it has 1 anagram: OUGHT.

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
9 pts
Words With Friends
10 pts
Anagrams
1
Familiarity
100th percentile

TOUGH meaning and definition

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

TOUGH as an adjective

  1. Not given to gentleness or sentimentality.
  2. Very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution.
  3. Physically toughened.

TOUGH as a noun

  1. Someone who learned to fight in the streets rather than being formally trained in the sport of boxing.

TOUGH Scrabble score and Words With Friends points

TOUGH scores 9 in Scrabble and 10 in Words With Friends. The highest-value tile is H, worth 4 in Scrabble.

Letter-by-letter tile values

LetterScrabbleWords With Friends
T11
O11
U12
G23
H43
Total910

TOUGH on premium squares

On a double word square TOUGH 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 5 letters it fits tight spots on a crowded board.

Rearranging the letters of TOUGH

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

  • ought9

Shorter words hiding in TOUGH

The letters T, O, U, G, H make 25 shorter words, up to 4 letters long. Most common first. Unscramble TOUGH: all 25 words.

  • go3
  • out3
  • tug4
  • gut4
  • hot6
  • hug7
  • hog7
  • hut6
  • goth8
  • gu3
  • ut2
  • gout5
  • ho5
  • oh5
  • tho6
  • thou7
  • thug8
  • tog4
  • got4
  • hout7
  • ou2
  • to2
  • ug3
  • ugh7

Words like TOUGH

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

Change one letter in TOUGH

Add one letter to TOUGH

  • trough10
  • though13
  • toughs10
  • toughy13

More 5-letter words starting with TO

TOUGH word facts

TOUGH is a 5-letter word with 5 distinct letters: 2 vowels (O and U) and 3 consonants. It starts with T and ends with H. By corpus frequency, TOUGH is among the top 1% most familiar words in the dictionary.

Holding the letters T, O, U, G, H 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 TOUGH

5 letter wordsEvery 5-letter wordWords starting with TBrowse by first letterWords ending in HBrowse by last letterUnscramble TOUGHEvery word from these lettersAnagrams of TOUGHWords using all its lettersScrabble word finderBest play from your rackWord unscramblerEvery word from any lettersAnagram solverWords using all your letters

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TOUGH Scrabble word FAQ

Is TOUGH a Scrabble word?

Yes. TOUGH is a valid 5-letter word in Scrabble and Words With Friends. It scores 9 points in Scrabble and 10 points in Words With Friends before premium squares.

What does TOUGH mean?

TOUGH is used as an adjective and a noun. Its most common meaning is “not given to gentleness or sentimentality”.

How many points is TOUGH worth in Scrabble?

TOUGH is worth 9 points in Scrabble: T (1) + O (1) + U (1) + G (2) + H (4). On a double word square it scores 18, and on a triple word square 27.

How many points is TOUGH in Words With Friends?

TOUGH is worth 10 points in Words With Friends, which uses different tile values from Scrabble.

What are the anagrams of TOUGH?

TOUGH has 1 anagram: OUGHT. Each uses exactly the same letters.

What words can you make from the letters in TOUGH?

You can make 25 shorter words from the letters in TOUGH, including GO, OUT, TUG and GUT.

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