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exchange

/ɛksˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒ/
nounverb

EXCHANGE meaning: an act of trading, a trading place, or a shortened term for a telephone exchange; it scores 21 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. An act of exchanging or trading.

    “All in all, it was an even exchange.”

  2. A place for conducting trading.

    “The stock exchange is open for trading.”

  3. Ellipsis of telephone exchange.

  4. A conversation.

    “After a lengthy exchange with the manager, we were no wiser.”

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To trade or barter.

    “I'll gladly exchange my place for yours.”

  2. To mutually direct at each other.

    “The opposing soldiers exchanged fire across the burning streets.”

  3. To replace with, as a substitute.

    “I'd like to exchange this shirt for one in a larger size.”

  4. To recommend and get recommendations.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English eschaunge, borrowed from Anglo-Norman eschaunge, from Old French eschange (whence modern French échange), from the verb eschanger, from Vulgar Latin *excambiāre (from Latin ex with Late Latin cambiō). Spelling later changed on the basis of ex-, with pronunciation following.

Similar and opposite words

Similar
truckinterchangetradewrixlebarterswap

EXCHANGE is an eight-letter word with three related uses: the act of trading, a place where trading happens, and an ellipsis for telephone exchange. Its spelling contains two Es and one each of X, C, H, A, N, and G. The X supplies the largest single tile value, so the score is concentrated rather than evenly spread.

EXCHANGE at a glance

  • EXCHANGE has eight letters and scores 21 points before board bonuses.
  • X is worth 8; C adds 3 and H adds 4.
  • Two E tiles each contribute 1 point.
  • No anagrams or one-letter neighbours appear in the comparison set.
  • CHANGE, RANGE, and STRANGE rhyme with its final -nge sound.

What does EXCHANGE mean?

What makes EXCHANGE more than a trade? The central idea is a transfer: people exchange goods, information, or positions. The same noun also names a place where trading is conducted, so context tells you whether the word describes an act or a venue.

The telephone sense is shorter: EXCHANGE can stand for telephone exchange, the switching facility associated with calls. That meaning is an ellipsis, not a separate spelling. The three senses share the idea of things being routed or passed between parties, which makes the word's meanings easier to remember.

Is EXCHANGE worth playing in Scrabble?

EXCHANGE scores 21 points from its tiles: E (1), X (8), C (3), H (4), A (1), N (1), G (2), and a second E (1). The X alone supplies 8 of those points, while the other seven tiles contribute 13. That concentration makes X placement the key scoring decision.

Put X on a premium letter square when the board permits, but do not ignore the word's length. An eight-letter EXCHANGE needs room across the board, and a premium word square can multiply the total differently from a premium letter square. The listed 21 is the unboosted tile sum, not a promised final score.

EXCHANGE has no anagrams and no one-letter neighbours in the comparison set, so it offers no alternate rearrangement or tiny spelling change to rescue a rack. That is a real limitation for word-building: check your game's word list before relying on the score, because tile value does not establish legality.

Rhymes with exchange

All rhymes

Questions people ask

How many points is EXCHANGE worth in Scrabble?
EXCHANGE is worth 21 points from its tiles before any board bonuses. The X contributes 8 points, more than any other tile in the word; C and H add 3 and 4, while the remaining letters contribute 1 or 2 each.
Does EXCHANGE have any anagrams?
No anagrams are recorded for EXCHANGE in the comparison set. Its eight letters—A, C, E, E, G, H, N, and X—do not form another listed word using every letter exactly once.
What words rhyme with EXCHANGE?
The recorded rhymes include CHANGE, RANGE, CHALLENGE, STRANGE, ORANGE, and ARRANGE. LOUNGE, FRINGE, BINGE, SPONGE, CRINGE, and REVENGE are also listed, sharing the final sound captured by EXCHANGE's -nge ending.

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