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potential

/pəˈtɛnʃəl/
nounadjective

POTENTIAL scores 11 points in Scrabble, with only the P worth more than 1, and its nine letters also spell the rare PELTATION.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. A currently unrealized ability (with the most common adposition being to).

    “Even from a young age it was clear that she had the potential to become a great musician.”

  2. The gravitational potential: the radial (irrotational, static) component of a gravitational field, also known as the Newtonian potential or the gravitoelectric field.

  3. The work (energy) required to move a reference particle from a reference location to a specified location in the presence of a force field, for example to bring a unit positive electric charge from an infinite distance to a specified point against an electric field.

  4. A verbal construction or form stating something is possible or probable.

Adjective 4 meanings

  1. Existing in possibility, not in actuality.

  2. irrotational

  3. irrotational (see potential flow on Wikipedia)

  4. Referring to a verbal construction of form stating something is possible or probable.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Late Latin potentialis, from Latin potentia (“power”), from potens (“powerful”). By surface analysis, potent + -ial.

Similar and opposite words

Similar
noumenonspiritnoumenalspiritualvirtual
Opposite
matterphenomenonactualphenomenalreal

POTENTIAL is an unrealized ability, with the most common pairing being to, as in potential to grow. A second sense is physical: the gravitational potential in science. Rank 1,018 puts it in regular use, and the tile mix is mostly single points.

POTENTIAL at a glance

  • Nine letters: P, O, T, E, N, T, I, A, L.
  • Base score 11: P brings 3, the other eight tiles 1 each.
  • Anagram: PELTATION. No one-letter neighbours.
  • Rank 1,018, count 15,193.

Why is POTENTIAL a steady, not a spiky, score?

The word has one heavy tile, P, and eight 1-pointers, so its value barely moves with placement. A double-letter square under the P gives 3 extra points, and nothing else in the word rewards a bonus tile.

That makes POTENTIAL a play about getting rid of letters and using a long lane, not about squeezing a hot square.

Because nearly every tile is a single point, a long lane matters more than a premium square.

What is PELTATION?

PELTATION is a rare anagram that uses the same nine letters. It would also score 11, but few players know it, so check your game’s word list before trying it.

With no neighbours at all, the choice is simple: POTENTIAL or PELTATION, and the first is the sensible one.

Potential also works as an adjective for something that could happen, which is why it pairs so readily with nouns like customer or risk.

How do the patterns look?

Among 41,930 nine-letter words, 3,549 start with P, about 8 percent, and 1,096 end in L, about 3 percent. The -IAL tail matches SOCIAL, SPECIAL, OFFICIAL, FINANCIAL and MATERIAL in spelling. Nine letters also means two tiles must already be on the board.

Fewer words close with L than open with P, so the ending is the sharper filter.

Rhymes with potential

All rhymes

Questions people ask

How many points is potential worth in Scrabble?
POTENTIAL scores 11 points on tiles. P is worth 3, and the other eight letters are worth 1 each. A double-letter square under the P raises the total to 14.
What are the anagrams of potential?
POTENTIAL has one anagram, PELTATION. It uses all nine of the same letters and would score 11 as well, but it is far rarer, so most players meet it only in puzzles.
What does potential mean?
POTENTIAL means a currently unrealized ability, often followed by to, as in potential to grow. In science it also names the gravitational potential. It ranks 1,018 in frequency.

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