rates R₁A₁T₁E₁S₁

RATES is a familiar five-letter word with an unexpectedly specific definition: local taxes, usually levied on property. Its five tiles are all worth one point, so the face-value Scrabble total is 5. You can also enter RATES as a Wordle guess, though it is not an answer, and the same letters form TEARS and STARE.

RATES at a glance

• RATES has five letters and a 5-point Scrabble total; R, A, T, E, and S each score one.
• RATES means taxes, usually property taxes imposed by local government.
• RATES is an allowed Wordle guess, but it is not an answer.
• TEARS and STARE use the same letters; the anagram set contains 12 words.
• RATES has 24 one-letter neighbors, including DATES, RACES, and GATES.

How many points is RATES worth?

RATES scores 5 points in Scrabble before premiums or board bonuses. Each tile—R, A, T, E, and S—is worth one, so the word’s value comes from placing all five letters, not from a high-value tile.

RATES is accepted in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE. For Wordle, it is an allowed guess rather than a possible answer. That distinction matters: a valid guess can test your letters without belonging to the answer list.

RATES meaning, anagrams and neighbours

RATES means taxes, usually on property, levied by local government. The word is the plural of RATE in this sense; it names the charges, not the act of setting a price. That specific definition is narrower than the everyday use of “rates” for prices or proportions.

Rearrange the letters and you get familiar options such as TEARS and STARE, plus TASER and ASTER. One-letter changes produce neighbors like DATES, HATES, RATED, and RACES. These are close spelling matches, not definitions of RATES, so check each word separately when solving a clue.

Sound clues are plentiful too: STATES, NOTES, VOTES and DATES all rhyme with RATES, and 12 rhymes are on record.