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browse

/bɹaʊz/
verbnoun

BROWSE is worth 11 points in Scrabble, and its six letters also spell BOWERS and BOWSER; five one-letter neighbours exist, including DROWSE.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To scan, to casually look through in order to find items of interest, especially without knowledge of what to look for beforehand.

    “I'm just browsing around.”

  2. To move about while sampling, such as with food or products on display.

  3. To navigate through hyperlinked documents on a computer, usually with a browser.

  4. To move about while eating parts of plants, especially plants other than pasture, such as shrubs or trees.

Noun 4 meanings

  1. Young shoots and twigs.

  2. Fodder for cattle and other animals.

  3. The act of browsing through something.

    “I had a browse in the old bookshop.”

  4. That which one browses through; something to read.

Definitions: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA) via Kaikki/Wiktextract

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English browsen, from Old French brouster, broster (“to nibble off buds, sprouts, and bark; browse”), from brost (“a sprout, shoot, bud”), from a Germanic source, perhaps Frankish *brust (“shoot, bud”), from Proto-Germanic *brustiz (“bud, shoot”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (“to swell, sprout”).

Most people know BROWSE as scrolling through shops or pages. The older senses are farther from screens: young shoots and twigs, and fodder for cattle. Its frequency count of 423 is modest, yet the letters pack a W worth 4 into a short, flexible frame.

BROWSE at a glance

  • BROWSE has six letters and a base Scrabble score of 11.
  • W is worth 4 and B is worth 3, together 7 of the 11 points.
  • Anagrams are BOWERS and BOWSER; neighbours include DROWSE and BROOSE.
  • Its frequency rank is 12,894, with a count of 423.

What did browse mean before the internet?

The noun described young shoots and twigs, and by extension fodder for cattle and other grazing animals. Browsing was what a deer or goat did to a hedge, and the verb followed.

Later it became the act of looking through something, such as a shelf of books, and also that which one reads through. The modern screen sense is the same idea at a bigger scale.

Which words sit one letter away from BROWSE?

Five neighbours exist: DROWSE, BLOWSE, BROOSE, BROWST and BROWSY. DROWSE is the only one most players know. BLOWSE, BROOSE, BROWST and BROWSY are rare, so check your game’s word list before trying any of them.

Each one changes a single letter: DROWSE swaps B for D, BLOWSE puts L where R sits, BROOSE replaces the W, and BROWST and BROWSY change the final E.

Does BROWSE help with anagram tiles?

Yes, with a twist. BOWERS and BOWSER use exactly the same six letters, so one rack gives you three plays. All three score 11, since the same tiles are in play.

The choice depends on board position rather than score. Hold the W and B together and you can steer between them as the lanes open.

Rhymes with browse

All rhymes
  • DOWSE9
  • HAWSE11
  • DROWSE10
  • TAWSE8
  • TOWSE8
  • BLOWSE11
  • BOWSE10
  • CHOWSE14
  • LOWSE8
  • OVERBROWSE18
  • OWSE7
  • SOWSE8

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • DROWSE10
  • BLOWSE11
  • BROOSE8
  • BROWST11
  • BROWSY14

Questions people ask

What are the anagrams of browse?
BROWSE has two anagrams, BOWERS and BOWSER. Each uses the same six letters, and each scores 11 points on tiles in Scrabble, so board layout decides which to play.
How many points is BROWSE in Scrabble?
BROWSE is worth 11 points on tiles. W scores 4, B scores 3, and R, O, S and E score 1 each. A double-letter square under the W adds 4 more.
Is browse a common word?
It is known, but not frequent. BROWSE ranks 12,894 in the frequency list, with a count of 423 and a Zipf score of 3.59, which puts it well below the everyday short verbs.

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