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laughter

/ˈlæftɚ/
noun

The laughter Scrabble score is 12 points; laughter means the sound or physical expression of laughing.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 2 meanings

  1. The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.

    “Their loud laughter betrayed their presence.”

  2. A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the laughing face, particularly of the lips, and of the whole body, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
laugh

LAUGHTER is an eight-letter noun for the sound of laughing and the bodily expression that often comes with it. It’s familiar in everyday English, yet its rack value comes from just two higher-value tiles: G and H. The word has no anagrams, but it has two one-letter neighbours and a dozen rhymes to explore.

Laughter at a glance

  • LAUGHTER has eight letters, arranged as A, E, G, H, L, R, T and U.
  • Its Scrabble tile values add to 12 points before any board bonuses.
  • The definition covers both laughing sounds and the physical movement of a laughing face.
  • There are no anagrams; DAUGHTER and LAUGHIER are its two one-letter neighbours.

What does laughter mean?

Laughter is the sound made when a person laughs, or a similar sound. The definition also includes the movement of the face and body that expresses merriment, satisfaction or derision. So the word names both an audible reaction and a physical one.

The word is marked common, with a recorded frequency of 50,196 and a frequency rank of 5,968. That makes it a familiar term rather than a specialist label, even though its exact use can describe joy, mockery or another reaction.

LAUGHTER has no anagrams in the word list, so rearranging all eight letters does not produce another entry. Its two one-letter neighbours are DAUGHTER and LAUGHIER. Both keep seven letters in place while changing one.

What is the laughter Scrabble score?

The laughter Scrabble score is 12 points on a standard letter-value count. G is worth 2 and H is worth 4; L, A, U, T, E and R each add 1. The H supplies the largest share, so don’t overlook its value when weighing a play.

Twelve words share LAUGHTER’s “ter” rhyme ending, including AFTER, BETTER, WATER, LATER, MATTER and LETTER. DAUGHTER is both a rhyme and a one-letter neighbour, an unusual overlap that makes it a useful comparison word.

A limitation: the base score says nothing about the board squares available, and a word’s presence can vary by game dictionary. Check your game’s word list before playing; the recorded sources include Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE.

Rhymes with laughter

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest

Questions people ask

Is LAUGHTER accepted in Scrabble?
LAUGHTER appears in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE. Its eight tiles have a base value of 12 points before board bonuses, though the accepted dictionary depends on the game you’re playing. Check that game’s word list if you are unsure which dictionary it uses.
What words rhyme with LAUGHTER?
Twelve listed words rhyme with LAUGHTER, including AFTER, BETTER, WATER, LATER, MATTER and LETTER. DAUGHTER also rhymes, and it is one of LAUGHTER’s two one-letter neighbours. The shared “ter” ending is the clue connecting these examples.
Does LAUGHTER have any anagrams?
No anagrams are recorded for LAUGHTER. Its letters can still form two one-letter neighbours: DAUGHTER and LAUGHIER. Each differs from LAUGHTER by one letter, so neither is an anagram; both are useful comparisons when checking similar-looking entries.

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