physical
Physical is an eight-letter English word: it means relating to matter or the body and scores 18 points in Scrabble.
Adjective 3 meanings
Of matter and nature.
“It's not so much a physical place as a state of mind.”
Of the human body.
“Insults can hurt a lot more than physical injuries.”
Of a piece of media, existing as a tangible object instead of being digital.
“There is just something so amazing about reading a physical book as compared to an e-book.”
Noun 2 meanings
A physical examination.
“How long has it been since your last physical?”
A physical manifestation of psychic origin, as through ectoplasmic solidification.
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin physicālis, from Latin physica (“study of nature”), from Ancient Greek φυσική (phusikḗ), feminine singular of φυσικός (phusikós, “natural; physical”), from φύσις (phúsis, “origin, birth; nature, quality; form, shape; type, kind”), from φῠ́ω (phŭ́ō, “grow”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to appear, become, rise up”).
Similar and opposite words
The word appears as both a noun and an adjective: a physical can mean an examination, while physical describes matter or nature. Its familiar everyday use contrasts with an unusual definition tied to a psychic manifestation. For word games, its eight letters bring a strong base score, but the spelling offers no anagrams or one-letter neighbours.
PHYSICAL at a glance
- PHYSICAL is eight letters long and begins with P, ending in L.
- Its Scrabble face value is 18 points before letter or word premiums.
- PHYSICAL has no anagrams and no one-letter neighbours.
- Among its 12 rhymes are local, medical, critical, and practical.
What does physical mean?
PHYSICAL works as a noun for an examination and as an adjective describing matter or nature. The noun often appears in phrases such as “a physical,” where the examination is understood from context. The adjective contrasts with mental or abstract: physical evidence is material or bodily, not merely an idea.
One less familiar sense describes a manifestation of psychic origin, including the notion of ectoplasmic solidification. That meaning sits far from ordinary conversation, but it explains why the word appears in unusual historical or paranormal writing. For a board game, confirm the word against the dictionary edition your game uses; accepted entries can vary by edition.
How does PHYSICAL score in Scrabble?
PHYSICAL’s Scrabble score is 18 points before premiums. P and C are worth 3 each, H and Y are worth 4 each, and S, I, A, and L add one apiece. The two 4-point tiles account for eight points together; the two 3-point tiles add six, leaving four from the single-point letters.
An eight-letter spelling does not automatically earn a bingo. In standard Scrabble, the 50-point bonus is for using all seven tiles from your rack, so an eight-letter play needs a letter already on the board. Plan around H or Y rather than chasing length alone: a premium square on either tile changes the arithmetic more than one on A or I.
Twelve words rhyme with PHYSICAL’s final sound, including local, medical, critical, technical, practical, and electrical. The sound ending is “cal,” even though those words range from clinical language to everyday description.
No anagrams or one-letter neighbours are recorded for PHYSICAL. That removes two common escape routes in word puzzles: rearranging all its letters or changing just one tile to form a close variant.
Rhymes with physical
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