Menu
Find words

orange

/ˈɔɹənd͡ʒ/
nounadjectiveverb

Orange meaning: ORANGE names a citrus fruit or its color, scores 7 points in Scrabble, and has one anagram, ONAGER.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. An evergreen tree of the genus Citrus such as Citrus sinensis which yields oranges (the fruit).

  2. Any round citrus fruit with a yellow-red colour when ripe and a sour-sweet taste; the fruit of the orange tree.

  3. The colour of a ripe fruit of an orange tree, midway between red and yellow.

  4. Various drinks

Adjective 1 meaning

  1. Having the colour of the fruit of an orange tree; yellowred; reddish-yellow.

Verb 2 meanings

  1. To colour orange.

  2. To become orange.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English orenge, orange, from Old French pome orenge (“fruit orange”), influenced by the place name Orange (which is from Gaulish and unrelated to the word for the fruit and colour) and by Old Occitan auranja and calqued from Old Italian melarancio, melarancia, compound of mela (“apple”) and un'arancia (“an orange”), from Arabic نَارَنْج (nāranj), from Early Classical Persian نَارَنْگْ (nārang), from Sanskrit नारङ्ग (nāraṅga, “orange tree”), ultimately from Dravidian.

Similar and opposite words

Similar
ambercoralgingergoldtopaz
Opposite
nonorange

ORANGE pulls several jobs into one six-letter spelling: it names the fruit, the tree that bears it, and the color between red and yellow. Its Scrabble total is modest at 7, but the unusual arrangement has exactly one anagram. The closest one-letter changes are GRANGE, ORANGY, and ORANGS.

ORANGE at a glance

  • ORANGE contains six letters; G is worth 2 points and each other tile is worth 1.
  • Its Scrabble value is 7 points before board premiums.
  • ONAGER is its sole anagram, using the same six letters.
  • GRANGE, ORANGY, and ORANGS are its three one-letter neighbours.

Orange meaning and Scrabble score

Orange has three linked senses: the evergreen citrus tree, its round yellow-red fruit, and the fruit's color. That color is midway between red and yellow; in ordinary use, the word can name either the hue or something wearing it.

At the tile level, G contributes 2 points and every other letter contributes 1, producing a 7-point Scrabble score. ORANGE is a modest-scoring six-letter play rather than a premium-letter haul; its value comes from placing all its tiles efficiently, not from a big letter score.

Anagram, neighbours, and rhymes

ONAGER is the sole anagram, built from the same O, R, A, N, G, and E tiles. It is a less familiar word than ORANGE, so the anagram is most useful as a rack check rather than an everyday synonym.

Each neighbour changes one letter: GRANGE swaps the initial O for G; ORANGY changes final E to Y; ORANGS changes final E to S. The last two preserve the opening ORANG-, while GRANGE shares the ending -RANGE.

The six-letter pattern is less common at the start than at the end: 2% start with O, while 12% end with E. ORANGE combines that less-common opening with a more common final letter, making its first letter the more distinctive clue.

The rhyme results share the final NGE sound. RANGE, CHANGE, and STRANGE are familiar matches; CHALLENGE and EXCHANGE stretch that sound across longer words. The set has 12 entries, but pronunciation matters more than matching spelling exactly.

Rhymes with orange

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • GRANGE8
  • ORANGY10
  • ORANGS7

Questions people ask

How many points is ORANGE worth in Scrabble?
ORANGE is worth 7 points in Scrabble before any board premiums. G supplies 2 points, while O, R, A, N, and E each supply 1. A premium square can change the final score, but not the word's base tile value.
What is the anagram of ORANGE?
ONAGER is the only anagram of ORANGE. It uses all six letters exactly once, so no tile needs to be added or left on the rack.
Which words are one letter away from ORANGE?
GRANGE, ORANGY, and ORANGS each differ from ORANGE by one letter. GRANGE changes the first letter; ORANGY and ORANGS replace the final E with Y and S.

Keep going