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council

/ˈkaʊn.səl/
nounverb

Council meaning: a committee that leads or governs, or discussion; COUNCIL scores 11 Scrabble points.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 2 meanings

  1. A committee that leads or governs (e.g. city council, student council).

  2. Discussion or deliberation.

Verb 1 meaning

  1. To sit in council with; to hold discussions with.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English counseil (“meeting, conference, commune”), from Old French conseil (“advice, deliberation, thought”), from Latin cōnsilium (“plan, intention, design, purpose”), from cōnsulō (“consult, seek counsel from, take counsel from, deliberate, reflect”), from Proto-Indo-European *selh₁- (“take, grab”).

COUNCIL is a familiar seven-letter word for a group that makes decisions, as in a city council or student council. It can also mean discussion or deliberation, and it has a less common verb use: to sit in council with someone. Its everyday meaning makes it easier to recognize than many seven-letter plays, while its double C gives it a solid tile score.

COUNCIL at a glance

  • COUNCIL has seven letters and scores 11 points before board bonuses.
  • The two C tiles contribute 6 points together; each other letter is worth 1.
  • The word has no anagrams or one-letter neighbours in the word-game lists.
  • Its -cil ending rhymes with PENCIL and STENCIL; the rhyme set has 12 words.
  • COUNCIL is common in everyday English, with the familiar city and student council uses.

What does council mean?

COUNCIL most often names a committee that leads or governs. A city council makes decisions for a municipality, while a student council represents students. The word also describes discussion or deliberation, so it can refer to the act of meeting to consider an issue rather than the governing group itself.

A less familiar use is as a verb: to sit in council with someone, or hold discussions with them. In ordinary writing, the noun is far more likely. Don’t confuse COUNCIL with COUNSEL: the similar-sounding word usually means advice or a lawyer, not a governing committee.

How does COUNCIL score 11 Scrabble points?

COUNCIL scores 11 points in Scrabble before premium squares. Each C is worth 3, giving the pair 6 points; O, U, N, I, and L each add 1. That makes the two Cs the scoring engine, while the five remaining tiles keep the word’s base value modest for its length.

The seven-letter length makes COUNCIL eligible for a bingo bonus when you use all your rack tiles under standard Scrabble rules. Its lack of anagrams and one-letter neighbours limits easy rack transformations, so focus on placing the Cs efficiently. The 11-point face value is only a starting point: a premium square under a C can raise the play substantially.

Rhymes with council

All rhymes
  • PENCIL10
  • STENCIL9
  • URACIL8
  • CODICIL12
  • FLUOROURACIL17
  • CHLORAMBUCIL23
  • ALGUACIL11
  • DOMICIL12
  • THIOURACIL15
  • BROMOURACIL17
  • PENICIL11
  • VERTICIL13

Questions people ask

Is COUNCIL a valid Scrabble word?
Yes. COUNCIL is accepted in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE word games. The seven-letter word scores 11 points before premium squares. Check your game's lexicon when playing, because tournament and app dictionaries can differ even when the spelling is identical.
How many anagrams does COUNCIL have?
COUNCIL has no anagrams in the word-game lists used here. Its letters are C, C, I, L, N, O, and U; rearranging all seven does not produce another accepted word in those lists, so there is no alternate full-length play from the same rack.
Does COUNCIL rhyme with PENCIL?
Yes. COUNCIL shares the -cil ending with PENCIL and STENCIL, and its rhyme set contains 12 words. Other examples include URACIL and CODICIL, though those are less familiar in everyday play. The uncommon ending makes this sound family narrower than the familiar first syllable suggests.

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