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female

/ˈfiː.meɪl/
adjectivenoun

Female meaning: a word for something feminine, worth 11 points in Scrabble and built from six letters with no anagrams.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Adjective 1 meaning

  1. Lacking the F factor, and able to receive DNA from another bacterium which does have this factor (a male).

Noun 2 meanings

  1. A bacterium which lacks the F factor, and is able to receive DNA from another bacterium which has that factor.

  2. A female connector, pipe fitting, etc.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English female, an alteration of Middle English femele, from Old French femele, femelle (“female”), from Medieval Latin fēmella (“a female”), from Latin fēmella (“a girl, a young female, a young woman”), diminutive of fēmina (“a woman”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
socketwomanlyfemininemenstruator
Opposite
male

FEMALE is a familiar six-letter word with a less familiar word-game profile. It scores 11 points, has no anagrams, and has just one one-letter neighbor: FEMALS. The entry is accepted in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE, so the same spelling works across all three major word-game dictionaries.

FEMALE at a glance

  • FEMALE has six letters and scores 11 points in Scrabble.
  • Its letters sort to AEEFLM, with two E tiles.
  • No anagrams use all six letters.
  • FEMALS is its only one-letter neighbor.
  • FEMALE has 12 rhymes, including SALE and SCALE.

What does female mean?

Female describes someone or something of the feminine gender. A second, specialized sense appears in bacteriology: a bacterium without the F factor that can receive DNA from a bacterium carrying it. That technical meaning is far narrower than the everyday use.

The spelling has two E tiles, alongside F, M, A, and L. Those repeated letters do not create an anagram: no other word uses the same six letters. If you are checking a play, FEMALE is included in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE.

Because FEMALE ends in the same -ALE as MALE, TALE and PALE, those words make the quickest rhyme checks when a clue needs one. The ending also explains why SALE and SCALE turn up in its rhyme family.

What is the female meaning for word games?

For word games, the female meaning matters less than its exact tile value: FEMALE scores 11 points before board bonuses. F is worth 4, M is worth 3, and each of E, A, and L is worth 1. The two E tiles count separately, bringing the total to 11.

FEMALS is the sole one-letter neighbor, formed by changing the final E to S. The rhyme list is broader: SALE, MALE, SCALE, TALE, PALE, and seven other entries share its rhyme tail. Those related sounds are not anagrams, and they do not change FEMALE’s spelling or score.

Rhymes with female

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • FEMALS11

Questions people ask

How many points is FEMALE in Scrabble?
FEMALE is worth 11 points before board bonuses. F contributes 4, M contributes 3, and the two E tiles, A, and L contribute 1 point each. A premium square can change the final play score, but not the word’s base tile value.
What is the one-letter neighbor of FEMALE?
FEMALS is the only listed one-letter neighbor of FEMALE. It changes the final E to S while keeping the other five letters in place. That makes it a close spelling match, not an anagram.
Does FEMALE have any anagrams?
No; the listed anagram count for FEMALE is zero. Its letters are A, E, E, F, L, and M, and no different word is recorded using all six. The repeated E does not produce another full-length arrangement.

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