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request

/ɹɪˈkwɛst/
verbnoun

REQUEST is a seven-letter word for an act or message asking for something, and it scores 16 points in Scrabble.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Verb 2 meanings

  1. To ask for (something).

    “The corporal requested reinforcements.”

  2. To ask (somebody) to do something.

    “She called me into her office and requested me to sit down.”

Noun 4 meanings

  1. Act of requesting (with the adposition at in the presence of possessives, and on in their absence).

  2. A formal message requesting something.

  3. Condition of being sought after.

  4. A message sent over a network to a server.

    “The server returned a 404 error to the HTTP request.”

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

From Middle English request, from Old French requeste (French requête), from Vulgar Latin *requaesita, from Latin requīsīta, feminine of requīsītus (“requested, demanded”), past participle of requīrō (“require, ask”), composed of re- + quaerō (“to seek, look for”), of uncertain origin, but possibly from Proto-Italic *kʷaizeō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷeh₂- (“to acquire”).

Similar and opposite words

Similar
askbespeakdesireaskingbeseechprayerwishpetition

In ordinary use, a request is an act of asking, a formal message, or a condition of being sought after. In computing, it can also mean a message sent over a network to a server. Its unusual Q carries most of the Scrabble value, while the remaining six tiles are worth one point each.

REQUEST at a glance

  • REQUEST has seven letters and scores 16 points in Scrabble.
  • Its only anagram is QUESTER.
  • Its one-letter neighbour is BEQUEST.
  • Twelve words rhyme with its -est ending, including BEST, REST, and TEST.

What does request mean?

REQUEST means an act of asking or a message that asks for something. A repair request, for example, is a message asking someone to fix an item; the word can also describe the act itself.

The meaning extends beyond a simple ask: REQUEST can describe a condition of being sought after. In computing, it names a message sent over a network to a server. Those uses share the idea of something being asked for, though the technical sense describes communication between systems.

How do REQUEST's letters score?

REQUEST scores 16 points before any board bonuses. The Q is worth 10 points, while R, both Es, U, S, and T are worth one point apiece. That makes the Q the clear scoring engine: the other six tiles together contribute six points.

REQUEST has one anagram, QUESTER, and one one-letter neighbour, BEQUEST. The neighbour keeps the same seven-letter frame but swaps a B in for the R; it is a useful contrast when you are checking a rack or exploring related words.

Among seven-letter words, 1,873 begin with R and 1,837 end in T. REQUEST fits both groups, so the starting-R and ending-T lists offer close relatives by pattern, even though neither group is limited to words with the same meaning.

Rhymes with request

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest
  • BEQUEST18

Questions people ask

Is REQUEST a valid Scrabble word?
REQUEST appears in Collins, NWL2023, and ENABLE, so it is accepted in those listed lexicons. Its face value is 16 points before board bonuses. Check your game's word list before playing, since Scrabble editions and regional dictionaries can differ.
What is an anagram of REQUEST?
QUESTER is the anagram of REQUEST. It rearranges the same seven letters, including the Q and U, into a different word. No other anagram is listed, so QUESTER is the one to check when you are rearranging these tiles.
Why is REQUEST worth 16 Scrabble points?
The Q supplies 10 of REQUEST's 16 points, and its six other tiles are worth one point each. That high-value Q makes the word score well before premium squares, while the ordinary tiles keep the rest of its total modest.

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