king K₅I₁N₁G₂

KING is a familiar four-letter noun, but its tile value comes mostly from K: that tile is worth 5 points, while I and N are worth 1 each and G is worth 2. The entry has one anagram and 19 one-letter neighbours, so its letter pattern connects to many alternate plays. KING is common, and its definition points to a male monarch rather than a generic ruler.

KING at a glance

• Four letters: K-I-N-G, with tile values 5, 1, 1, and 2.
• Scrabble face-value total: 9 points before any premium squares.
• 19 one-letter neighbours include KIND, RING, WING, SING, and ZING.
• Only one anagram is recorded for KING.
• Among 5,577 four-letter words, 205 start with K and 139 end with G.

What does KING mean?

KING means a male monarch: a man who heads a monarchy and, in an absolute monarchy, the supreme ruler of his nation. That definition gives the central sense without stretching KING into a label for any powerful person. In ordinary writing, the word names the monarch; as a title, it can appear with a person's name.

Letter order is K-I-N-G: K opens, I and N fill the middle, and G closes. That pattern has 19 one-letter neighbours, including familiar KIND, RING, WING, and SING. Swapping one tile is the clue-solving move here; changing the whole arrangement produces just one anagram.

KING meaning and Scrabble score

Scrabble assigns KING 9 face-value points: K is worth 5, I and N are worth 1 each, and G is worth 2. K supplies more than half the total, while the remaining tiles contribute 4 combined. Premium squares can raise a play's board score, but they do not alter these printed tile values.

That split suggests a practical scoring choice: look first for a safe premium square for K, then place I, N, and G where they avoid costly exposure. KING's compact four-tile shape is easy to fit, but its 9-point base is not a high-scoring word by itself; the board placement does the extra work.

Only one anagram is recorded, and 19 one-letter neighbours sit close to KING, but a neighbour is not automatically accepted in every game's dictionary. KING appears in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE; check your game's word list when a less familiar change matters. For more options, browse four-letter words starting K or ending G.