Menu
Find words

safety

/ˈseɪfti/
nounverb

Safety means security or protection; the six-letter word scores 12 Scrabble points and has one anagram, FAYEST.

NWL Collins ENABLE

Noun 4 meanings

  1. The condition or feeling of being safe; security; certainty.

    “If you push it to the limit, safety is not guaranteed.”

  2. A safety lock or safety catch: a mechanism on a weapon or dangerous equipment designed to prevent accidental firing or operation.

    “Be sure that the safety is set before proceeding.”

  3. Preservation from escape; close custody.

  4. An instance of a player being sacked or tackled in the end zone, or stepping out of the end zone and off the field, resulting in two points to the opposite team.

    “He sacked the quarterback in the end zone for a safety.”

Verb 2 meanings

  1. To secure (a mechanical component, as in aviation) to keep it from becoming detached even under vibration.

  2. to secure a firing pin, as in guns, to keep the gun from firing

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

Where it comes from

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English savete, from Old French sauveté, from earlier salvetet, from Medieval Latin salvitās, salvitātem, from Latin salvus.

Similar and opposite words

Opposite
danger

Safety is an everyday noun with several distinct uses: security, a protective catch, close custody, and a football play that gives the opposing team two points. Its Scrabble total is 12, driven by F and Y, worth four points apiece; S, A, E, and T are worth one each. That familiar word has a less familiar anagram and just one one-letter neighbor.

Safety at a glance

  • SAFETY has six letters and scores 12 points in Scrabble.
  • F and Y are the four-point tiles; S, A, E, and T score one point each.
  • FAYEST is the only anagram recorded for SAFETY.
  • SAFELY is SAFETY’s only one-letter neighbor.
  • SOCIETY, VARIETY, and ANXIETY share its rhyming tail.

What does safety mean, and is it a word?

Safety is a valid English word meaning a condition or feeling of being safe, secure, or certain. It also names a safety catch that prevents accidental operation, close custody, and a football play in which the opposing team earns two points. The everyday meaning is security; the other senses depend on context.

SAFETY scores 12 Scrabble points before any board bonuses. F and Y contribute four points each, while the remaining four tiles contribute one apiece. The two high-value tiles make up eight of the total, so placing the word across a premium square can matter more than saving it for a long rack-clearing play.

What can you make from SAFETY?

FAYEST is the only anagram of SAFETY in the listed word set. It rearranges all six letters, but it is much less familiar than the original word. Don’t assume that a recognizable arrangement is playable: check the word list used by your game before committing it to the board.

SAFELY is the sole one-letter neighbor: change the final T to L and keep the other five letters in place. The rhyme list offers a different kind of wordplay, with SOCIETY, VARIETY, and ANXIETY among twelve words sharing SAFETY’s “-ety” ending. Those rhymes are not anagrams; they use different letters and lengths.

Rhymes with safety

All rhymes

One letter away

Change one letter, keep the rest

Questions people ask

How many points is SAFETY worth in Scrabble?
SAFETY is worth 12 points in Scrabble before board bonuses. F and Y are worth four points each, while S, A, E, and T are worth one point each. A premium letter or word square can change the final score, but not the base tile total.
What is the anagram of SAFETY?
FAYEST is the one anagram recorded for SAFETY. It uses the same six letters in a different order, though it is far less familiar than SAFETY. Confirm that FAYEST is accepted by your game’s dictionary before playing it.
What word is one letter away from SAFETY?
SAFELY is the only one-letter neighbor of SAFETY. The words share S, A, F, E, and Y; only the final letter changes, from T to L. This is a letter-change relationship, not an anagram.

Keep going