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license

/ˈlaɪ.səns/
nounverb

LICENSE meaning: official permission, especially a permit; the word also covers software-use terms and scores 9 Scrabble points.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. A legal document giving official permission to do something; a permit.

  2. The legal terms under which a person is allowed to use a product, especially software.

  3. Freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behaviour or speech).

  4. Excessive freedom; lack of due restraint.

Verb 4 meanings

  1. To authorize officially.

    “I am licensed to practice law in this state.”

  2. (applied to a piece of intellectual property)

    “It was decided to license Wikipedia under the GFDL.”

  3. To give permission or freedom to; accept.

  4. To permit (as grammatically correct).

    “No English adverbs have mandatory complements, and most don't even license optional ones.”

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English licence, licens, lisence, lissens, licance, from Old French licence, from Latin licentia (“license”), from licens, present participle of licere (“to be allowed, be allowable”); compare linquere, Ancient Greek λείπω (leípō, “leave”).

LICENSE is a familiar seven-letter word with several connected senses: permission granted by an authority, the terms that govern software use, and freedom to depart from a rule. It works as a concrete permit and as an abstract allowance, so the surrounding phrase often tells you which meaning applies. The spelling is also easy to confuse with LICENCE, a one-letter neighbour.

LICENSE at a glance

  • LICENSE has seven letters, with E appearing twice.
  • Its Scrabble tile value totals 9 points.
  • C is worth 3 points; L, I, both Es, N, and S contribute 1 apiece.
  • SILENCE and SELENIC use the same seven letters in different orders.
  • LICENCE and LICENTE are the two recorded one-letter neighbours.

What is the LICENSE meaning?

LICENSE means official permission, often granted through a legal document such as a permit. It can also mean the terms allowing someone to use software, or freedom to depart from a usual rule. A driver’s license and a software license show how the same spelling serves different contexts.

Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE include LICENSE. In US English, license is both a noun and a verb; in standard British usage, licence is the noun and license the verb. That makes LICENCE a meaningful spelling neighbour, not just a random letter change.

The base Scrabble score is modest because C is the only tile worth more than one point. If a premium square is available, placing C on a letter bonus raises its value directly; a word bonus instead multiplies the combined tile score.

Which words are close to LICENSE?

SILENCE is the familiar anagram: it rearranges all seven letters and makes a common word. SELENIC uses those same letters too, but it is far less familiar in everyday play. The pair gives you one easy-to-recognize option and one that is worth checking before a challenge.

The rhyme index groups LICENSE with words such as sense, tense, and rinse, sharing the final letters NSE. LICENCE differs by one tile, while LICENTE is another recorded neighbour. The uncommon SELENIC is the main limitation for casual play, so check your game's dictionary before relying on it.

Rhymes with license

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest

Questions people ask

Is LICENSE a valid Scrabble word?
Yes, LICENSE is included in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE. It can mean official permission, a permit, or the terms for using software. Spelling conventions differ between US and British English, so check the word list used in your game before playing LICENCE as an alternative.
How many points is LICENSE worth in Scrabble?
LICENSE is worth 9 points before any board bonuses. The C contributes 3 points, and each of the other six tiles contributes 1. A letter premium square affects the tile placed on it; a word premium square multiplies the combined value.
What are the anagrams of LICENSE?
SILENCE and SELENIC are the two anagrams of LICENSE. Both use the same seven letters, including the repeated E. SILENCE is the familiar everyday word; SELENIC is much less common, so confirm that your game's dictionary accepts it.

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