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direct

/daɪˈɹɛkt/
adjectiveadverbverb

DIRECT meaning: to guide, aim, manage, or instruct; the six-letter word scores 9 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Adjective 4 meanings

  1. Proceeding without deviation or interruption.

  2. Straight; not crooked, oblique, or circuitous; leading by the short or shortest way to a point or end.

    “the most direct route between two buildings”

  3. Straightforward; sincere.

  4. Immediate; express; plain; unambiguous.

Adverb 1 meaning

  1. Directly.

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To manage, control, steer.

    “to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army”

  2. To aim (something) at (something else).

    “They directed their fire towards the men on the wall.”

  3. To point out to or show (somebody) the right course or way; to guide, as by pointing out the way; to refer.

    “He directed me to the left-hand road.”

  4. To point out to with authority; to instruct as a superior; to order.

    “She directed them to leave immediately.”

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīrēctus, perfect passive participle of dīrigō (“straighten, direct”), from dis- (“asunder, in pieces, apart, in two”) + regō (“make straight, rule”). Compare dress. Doublet of derecho.

Similar and opposite words

Similar
immediateexplicitpatentunivocalpoint
Opposite
indirect

Direct is a common six-letter verb with several related senses: managing or steering, aiming something, guiding a person, and giving an order. You might direct a team, direct a remark toward someone, or direct a traveler along a route. Its meanings share the idea of choosing a course or target, which makes the verb’s uses easier to remember.

DIRECT meaning and quick facts

  • At six letters, DIRECT scores 9 points before any board-square bonuses.
  • D is worth 2 and C is worth 3; I, R, E, and T each add 1.
  • CREDIT and TRICED are the two anagrams made from the same six tiles.
  • DIREST is the only one-letter neighbour recorded for DIRECT.

How much is DIRECT worth in Scrabble?

Scrabble gives DIRECT a base value of 9: D contributes 2, C contributes 3, and the other four tiles contribute 1 apiece. That makes C the score-heavy tile, while the vowels and common consonants keep the rack from being a collection of premium letters. The total is the face-value sum, not a promise of a particular board score.

Treat DIRECT as a flexible six-letter play rather than chasing a word bonus: its value comes from the placed letters, and a premium square changes the result. The easy scoring error is overlooking C’s 3 points; the five remaining tiles add 6 altogether.

What changes when you rearrange DIRECT?

Rearranging all six letters gives CREDIT, the familiar word for trust or recognition, and TRICED, the past-tense form of trice. Those are anagrams, not one-letter edits: only DIREST appears as a neighbour, with one tile changed. The contrast matters when a puzzle asks for a full rearrangement rather than a near-match.

Sound offers a different route. DIRECT rhymes with twelve words sharing the ect ending, including PROJECT, PERFECT, RESPECT, EFFECT, and SELECT. For a broader search, narrow six-letter words by first letter D, last letter T, or second letter I.

One limitation matters: DIRECT has six letters, so it will not fit a five-letter clue. Its anagrams also do not count as one-letter neighbours.

Rhymes with direct

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • DIREST7

Questions people ask

What does DIRECT mean?
DIRECT means to manage, guide, aim, or instruct. The verb can describe steering a group, aiming something at a target, showing someone the way, or issuing an order. Those senses share the idea of setting a direction or purpose, rather than simply describing a straight line.
How many points is DIRECT worth in Scrabble?
DIRECT scores 9 points before board bonuses. The D is worth 2, the C is worth 3, and I, R, E, and T are worth 1 each. The C contributes the largest single share, so remember it when adding the tile values.
What words can you make from the letters in DIRECT?
The two anagrams of DIRECT are CREDIT and TRICED. Both use all six letters, but they are full rearrangements, not one-letter neighbours. DIREST is the sole one-letter neighbour, so it belongs to a different kind of word search.

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