payment P₃A₁Y₄M₃E₁N₁T₁

PAYMENT is the act of paying, and also a sum of money handed over in exchange for goods or services. At rank 2,171, it appears often in billing and commerce. Three of its seven tiles are heavy, which gives it a steady 14-point base.

PAYMENT at a glance

• Seven letters: P, A, Y, M, E, N, T.
• Base score 14: Y brings 4, P and M bring 3 each.
• WAYMENT is the only neighbour; no anagrams exist.
• Ranked 2,171 by frequency.

What does PAYMENT mean?

The first sense is the act of paying. The second is the actual sum of money, or the transaction that moves it, in exchange for goods or services. A third sense covers anything of value given in return.

The senses are broad enough that the word appears in shopping, banking and contracts alike, and it takes little context to tell which one is meant.

Bank statements and invoices use all three senses side by side.

How do you score a PAYMENT bingo?

Add P3, A1, Y4, M3, E1, N1 and T1 and you get 14. A full-rack play earns the 50-point bonus, so the total is 64, but it takes a Y and an M together on one rack, which is a rare pairing.

A double-letter square under the Y adds 4 more, while one under P or M adds 3.

Placement is the real skill: the Y sits in the third slot, so a lane with a premium square there pays best.

How does PAYMENT rank among seven-letter words?

The seven-letter list has 2,590 words starting with P, about 8 percent, and 1,837 ending in T, about 5 percent. The -ENT tail matches DIFFERENT, GOVERNMENT, WENT, PRESIDENT and DEVELOPMENT in spelling. WAYMENT is the rare neighbour, so check your game’s word list before playing it.

WAYMENT deserves caution; the usual route is to play PAYMENT itself and bank the 14.