star
STAR meaning: a bright point in the sky; the four-letter word scores four Scrabble points and rearranges into five anagrams.
Noun 4 meanings
Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes used in exclusion of them due to influence from the technical astronomical sense.
“He loved watching the stars in the sky with her.”
A very massive ball of plasma with strong enough gravity to have ongoing fusion of hydrogen or heavier elements in its core. In strict technical usage, the Sun is included.
senses derived from the apparent shape of a star in the sky when blurred by the eyes to have streaks
senses relating to fame
“Many Hollywood stars attended the launch party.”
Verb 4 meanings
To appear as a featured performer or headliner, especially in an entertainment program.
“She starred in dozens of silent movies.”
To feature (a performer or a headliner), especially in a movie or an entertainment program.
“The show stars Calista Flockhart as a high-powered lawyer.”
To mark with a star or asterisk.
To set or adorn with stars, or bright, radiating bodies; to bespangle.
Etymology
From Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra (“star”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterrō, variant of *sternō, from Proto-Germanic *sternô, *sternǭ (“star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”). Doublet of aster; related to estoile, étoile, stella, and stelo.
Similar and opposite words
STAR is a familiar word for a bright object seen in the sky, and its four single-point tiles make the game score easy to calculate. The letters also form ARTS, RATS, TSAR, TARS and RAST. For word games, the useful distinction is between the word’s everyday sense and its more exact astronomical use.
STAR at a glance
- STAR has four letters: S, T, A and R, each worth one Scrabble point.
- The basic tile total is four points before any board premiums.
- Five anagrams use the same letters: ARTS, RATS, TSAR, TARS and RAST.
- Thirteen one-letter neighbours include STAY, STIR, SCAR and SOAR.
- Twelve listed rhymes include GUITAR, ALTAR, MORTAR and NECTAR.
Is STAR valid in word games, and what does it score?
STAR appears in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE. Its four tiles are all worth one point, so playing the letters without a premium square scores four. A letter or word premium changes the board total, not the value printed for the tiles.
The word is common in the language data, with frequency rank 634 and 60,903 recorded occurrences. That familiarity makes STAR easy to recognise, but it does not make it a high-value play: the score comes from placing its letters on premium squares or building across existing tiles.
STAR meaning, anagrams and one-letter changes
STAR meaning shifts with context. In everyday speech, it can name a small, bright dot in the sky, including objects people casually call stars even when they are planets. In technical astronomy, a star is a massive ball of plasma whose gravity sustains fusion; that definition includes the Sun.
Rearranging STAR gives five recorded forms: ARTS, RATS, TSAR, TARS and RAST. The last is less familiar than ARTS or RATS, so check your game’s word list rather than assuming every anagram feels equally ordinary. One-letter changes give a different puzzle route: STAY and STIR keep the opening ST, while SCAR and SOAR preserve the final AR.
A practical play insight: STAR’s low tile total leaves the board square as the main scoring variable. Look for a premium placement before spending a turn on the word’s familiar shape.
Rhymes with star
All rhymes- GUITAR7
- SUPERSTAR11
- ALTAR5
- MORTAR8
- AVATAR9
- NECTAR8
- TARTAR6
- TATAR5
- PLANTAR9
- SCIMITAR12
- MUKHTAR16
- COSTAR8
One letter away
Questions people ask
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