nice N₁I₁C₃E₁

NICE is a familiar adjective for something pleasant or a person who is friendly or attractive. It also has a computing sense: setting a process to a specified, usually lower, priority. Its commonness shows in a corpus count of 405,497 and frequency rank of 399; the Scrabble total is 6 points.

NICE at a glance

• N, I and E are worth 1 point each; C carries the 3-point tile value.
• NICE totals 6 Scrabble points before any premium-square bonuses.
• CINE is the only four-letter anagram of NICE.
• NICE has 17 one-letter neighbours, including NINE, VICE, RICE and MICE.
• The rhyme list includes PRICE, CHOICE, VOICE and ADVICE.

NICE meaning in everyday use and computing

In everyday English, NICE describes something pleasant or satisfactory. Applied to a person, it can mean friendly or attractive, so the tone depends on what the word describes.

In computing, to nice a process is to set its priority, usually lowering it. That technical verb is separate from the everyday compliment, though both use the same spelling. On a Scrabble rack, the tile values add up as N 1, I 1, C 3 and E 1, for 6 points; a premium square can raise the turn's total.

What words are close to NICE?

CINE is NICE's sole four-letter anagram. Rearranging the same letters gives a word associated with cinema, rather than another everyday adjective, so it is worth checking your game's word list before playing it.

A one-letter change produces 17 neighbours. NINE, VICE, RICE, MICE and DICE are easy to recognize; the full set also contains less familiar forms such as TICE and NIXE. The everyday NICE meaning does not make every neighbour common, so treat the set as a spelling clue, not a vocabulary list.

NICE rhymes with 12 listed words, among them PRICE, CHOICE, VOICE, NOTICE and TWICE. Its final three letters, ICE, make those endings easy to spot, while the opening N separates NICE from most of the rhyme set. Several neighbours are obscure, so check your game's word list rather than assuming every one is accepted.