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purpose

/ˈpɝ.pəs/
nounverb

PURPOSE meaning: the reason something is done or exists. The seven-letter word scores 11 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. The end for which something is done, is made or exists.

    “What is the purpose of your visit?”

  2. Function, role.

    “The exceptionally small gate-leg table served the purpose of a tea table admirably.”

  3. meaning for existing or doing something.

  4. Resolution; determination.

Verb 2 meanings

  1. To have or set as one's purpose or aim; resolve to accomplish; intend; plan.

  2. To have (an) intention, purpose, or design; to intend; to mean.

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English purpos, from Old French purposer (“to propose”) (with conjugation altered based on poser), from Latin prō- (“forth”) + pōnere (“place, put”), hence Latin prōpōnō, prōpōnere. By surface analysis, pur- + pose (“halt, pause, put, place”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
endpointaimmeaningdeterminationintentionresolutiongoal

PURPOSE can be a noun for an aim or a verb for intending something, and it appears in all three tournament dictionaries. Its frequency rank is 1,363 with a count of 28,471. Seven letters means it can go down in one turn from a full rack.

PURPOSE at a glance

  • Seven letters: E, O, P, P, R, S and U.
  • Base Scrabble value is 11 points.
  • The doubled P supplies 6 of those points.
  • It has no anagrams and no one-letter neighbours.
  • Frequency rank is 1,363.

Can you play PURPOSE straight from your rack?

Yes, if your seven tiles are exactly E, O, P, P, R, S and U. That is a bingo, worth a 50-point bonus on top of the 11-point word score. Two P tiles in one rack is unusual, so the chance is small, but the letters are friendly: only the P tiles score above 1.

Because no anagram exists, the rack gives you one route and no alternatives, so you cannot pivot to a different word with the same seven tiles. If the board blocks that single lane, you have no rearranged word to fall back on.

What does PURPOSE mean?

The core sense is the end for which something is done or exists, as in the purpose of a meeting. A second sense is resolve or determination, which turns up in older writing. As a verb it means to intend, though few players use it that way.

Rhymes with the ending include WHOSE, CLOSE and CHOOSE, but those only share the sound; the spelling of PURPOSE differs from all of them. No word is formed by changing just one letter, so extending or hooking it is rare.

Scoring tip

Tip

Put one of the two P tiles on a double-letter square. Each P is worth 3, so that single placement lifts PURPOSE from 11 to 14.

Rhymes with purpose

All rhymes

Questions people ask

Is purpose a valid Scrabble word?
Yes. PURPOSE is accepted in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE. It scores 11 points before premium squares and uses seven tiles, so playing it from a full rack also earns the 50-point bingo bonus.
How many points is purpose worth?
PURPOSE is worth 11 points. The two P tiles are worth 3 each, and the other five letters are worth 1 each. A double-letter square under either P raises the total to 14, a triple raises it to 17.
Does purpose have anagrams?
No. PURPOSE has no anagrams in the word lists, and no word differs from it by a single letter. That makes it a one-route play: the only way to use its letters is to spell PURPOSE itself.

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