lost L₁O₁S₁T₁

LOST describes someone who has wandered from the way or cannot find it, or something that is in an unknown location or no longer visible. At rank 376 and a count of 222,398 it is a daily word. The tiles are all worth 1, and the neighbours are many.

LOST in numbers

• Four letters: L, O, S, T, each worth 1.
• Anagrams are LOTS and SLOT.
• Nineteen neighbours, including MOST, LAST, POST, LIST and COST.
• Rank 376, with a count of 222,398.

Which words are one letter from LOST?

The count is 19. MOST, LAST, POST, LIST, COST and LOSE are among them. Replacing the first tile gives the -OST group, replacing the vowel gives LAST and LIST, and replacing the last gives LOSE.

The new tile sets the points. MOST and POST reach 6, since M and P are worth 3. LIST and LAST stay at 4, the same as LOST.

That makes LOST an easy swap on a crowded rack: nearly any tile you hold can replace a letter and still make a word.

What are the anagrams worth?

LOTS and SLOT use the same four tiles and score 4 too. SLOT is the sharper pick when you need an S at the start, and LOTS puts the S at the end, which suits a plural hook.

A rack with L, O, S and T therefore offers three plays at once, and the S-first or S-last choice depends on the lane.

Compare the S placement: SLOT opens a lane that runs down from the S, while LOTS leaves the S free to take a hook at the end.

How does LOST fit the four-letter list?

Of 5,577 four-letter words, 438 end in T, about 8 percent, and 279 begin with L, about 5 percent. The -OST tail matches MOST, POST, ALMOST, COST and HOST in spelling. Check your game’s word list if an unusual neighbour tempts you.