road
ROAD is a common four-letter word worth 5 Scrabble points, with one anagram and 11 one-letter neighbours.
Noun 4 meanings
A way used for travelling between places, originally one wide enough to allow foot passengers and horses to travel, now (US) usually one surfaced with asphalt or concrete and designed to accommodate many vehicles travelling in both directions. In the UK both senses are heard: a country road is the same as a country lane.
Roads in general as a means of travel, especially by motor vehicle.
“We travelled to the seaside by road.”
A physical way or route.
A path chosen, as in life or career.
“the road to happiness; the road to success.”
Adjective 2 meanings
At the venue of the opposing team or competitor; on the road.
Of or pertaining to a road bike.
“road groupset”
Etymology
From Middle English rode, rade (“ride, journey”), from Old English rād (“riding, hostile incursion”), from Proto-West Germanic *raidu, from Proto-Germanic *raidō (“a ride”), from Proto-Indo-European *reydʰ- (“to ride”). Doublet of raid, acquired from Scots.
Similar and opposite words
ROAD means a way for travelling between places, and its familiar use matches its frequency rank of 548. The word also refers to travel by motor vehicle in general, or to a physical or figurative route. Its four tiles are all common letters, but D is the only tile worth more than one point.
ROAD at a glance
- ROAD scores 5 points in Scrabble: R, O and A are worth 1 each, while D is worth 2.
- The only anagram is ORAD, a much less familiar word.
- Eleven one-letter neighbours include READ, LOAD, ROAR and ROAM.
- Twelve rhymes ending in OAD include LOAD, BROAD, TOAD and ABROAD.
What does ROAD mean?
A road is a route people use to travel between places. In the United States, the word usually suggests a surfaced way built for vehicles travelling in both directions; in British usage, it can also mean a country lane.
ROAD has broader senses too: it can mean travel by motor vehicle, a physical route, or a chosen course in life or work. That figurative sense makes “the road ahead” more than a description of pavement.
How many Scrabble points is ROAD worth?
ROAD is worth 5 points before any board-square bonuses. Three tiles contribute 1 point apiece, and D supplies the remaining 2, so the word’s value is spread across all four letters rather than resting on a single high-value tile.
That makes the D the only letter to track when weighing a play’s face value. ROAD is accepted in ENABLE, NWL2023 and Collins; check your game’s word list if you are playing with a different dictionary.
Which words sit one letter from ROAD?
READ and LOAD are especially easy neighbours to recognize: each changes one letter while keeping the other three in place. ROAR and ROAM also begin with RO, while TOAD keeps the same ending. The full neighbour set has 11 words, including less familiar forms.
ROAD’s single anagram is ORAD, so rearranging its letters does not produce a large set of everyday alternatives. The 12 rhymes are more varied: LOAD, BROAD and TOAD are short options, while DOWNLOAD, OVERLOAD and RAILROAD extend the OAD sound.
Rhymes with road
All rhymesOne letter away
Questions people ask
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