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Is BACKWATERS a valid Scrabble word?

Yes, BACKWATERS is a valid word in US Scrabble and UK Scrabble, worth 21 points.

Base score before bonus squares; blank tiles score zero.

What does BACKWATERS mean?

Backwaters is a form of BACKWATER.

  1. noun

    a body of water that was created by a flood or tide or by being held or forced back by a dam

    “the bayous and backwaters are breeding grounds for mosquitos”

  2. noun

    a place or condition in which no development or progress is occurring

    “the country is an economic backwater”

Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University.

Points

21

Scrabble

23

Words With Friends

10

Letters

B (3) + A (1) + C (3) + K (5) + W (4) + A (1) + T (1) + E (1) + R (1) + S (1) = 21 points in Scrabble.

Dictionary status

  • Scrabble (US & Canada)Valid
  • Scrabble (UK & worldwide)Valid
  • Words With FriendsListed

Scrabble lists: NWL2023 (US & Canada) and CSW24 (UK & worldwide). WWF uses our ENABLE reference plus verified additions. “Listed” and “Not listed” describe that reference; check acceptance in the game. Sources reviewed 2026-10-03.

Hooks for BACKWATERS

BACKWATERS has no one-letter front or back hooks in US Scrabble. Adding a single letter to either end does not make another word in that list.

Front hooks0

None — nothing can be added to the front.

Back hooks0

None — nothing can be added to the end.

Words you can make from BACKWATERS

The 60 highest-scoring words using these letters.

Study BACKWATERS and related words

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