Association of British Scrabble Players

Study > 4-letter Words


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.

iamb A poetic foot consisting of a short then a long syllable > IAMBS.
ibex A wild mountain-goat > IBEXES or IBICES.
ibis Any of a group of gregarious wading birds of warm and tropical climates > IBISES.
iced (Pt.) ICE, to cool with ice.
icer A person who makes or applies icing > ICERS.
ices (3rd.) ICE, to cool with ice.
ichs (3rd.) ICH, to eke, augment.
icks (Pl.) ICK, something sticky or disgusting.
icky Repulsive > ICKIER, ICKIEST; ICKILY.
icon A religious carving of a saint etc > ICONS or ICONES. Also EIKON, IKON.
idea A conception existing in the mind > IDEAS, IDEAED.
idee (Fr.) idea > IDEES.
idem (Lat.) the same; the same as above.
ides (Lat.) in the ancient Roman calendar, the eighth day after the nones, i.e. the 15th of March, May, July, October, and the 13th of the other months.
idle Unoccupied > IDLER, IDLEST; IDLY; (verb) to be unoccupied > IDLES, IDLING, IDLED.
idly (Adv.) IDLE, unoccupied.
idol An object of worship > IDOLS.
idyl A short description in verse or prose of a picturesque scene or incident, esp. in rustic life > IDYLS. Also IDYLL.
iffy (Coll.) dodgy, chancy > IFFIER, IFFIEST.
igad (Arch.) a mild oath. Also ECOD, EGAD, EGADS.
iggs (3rd.) IGG, to ignore, snub.
iglu (Inuit) a snow house > IGLUS. [Inupiaq iglu, house]. Also IGLOO.
ikan (Malay) fish esp in names of cooked dishes e.g. assam ikan > IKANS.
ikat (Malay) a technique of dyeing yarn and tying it, thus giving geometric patterns > IKATS. [Malay ikat, to tie, fasten].
ikon A religious carving of a saint etc > IKONS. Also ICON, EIKON.
ilea (Pl.) ILEUM, the anterior or superior bone of the pelvis.
ilex (Lat.) the holm oak > ILEXES or ILICES.
ilia (Pl.) ILIUM, the anterior or superior bone of the pelvis.
ilka (Scots) every.
ilks (Pl.) ILK, a type or kind.
ills (Pl.) ILL, harm.
illy (Adv.) ILL, bad.
imam (Arabic) the officer who leads the devotions in a mosque > IMAMS. Also IMAUM.
imid A class of organic compounds formed from ammonia > IMIDS. Also IMIDE.
immy A type of playing marble > IMMIES.
impi (Zulu) a regiment of Zulu warriors > IMPIS or IMPIES.
imps (3rd.) IMP, to graft, to splice a falcon's broken feathers.
inby (Scots) towards the interior, by the house. Also INBYE.
inch The twelfth part of a foot, equal to 2.54cm; (verb) to move by slow degrees > INCHES, INCHING, INCHED.
info (Abbr.) information > INFOS.
ingo (Scots) entry into or taking on a new tenancy > INGOES.
ings (Pl.) ING, a meadow, esp one beside a river.
inia (Pl.) INION, the external occipital protuberance.
inks (3rd.) INK, to colour with ink.
inky Like ink > INKIER, INKIEST.
inly Inwardly; thoroughly.
inns (3rd.) INN, to put up at an inn.
inro (Japanese) a small container for pills and medicines > INRO. No -S.
inti (Quechua) the standard monetary unit of Peru, equal to 100 céntimos > INTIS. [Sp. f. Quechua ynti sun, the Inca sun god].
into To the inside of.
ions (Pl.) ION, an atom that has an electrical charge, by virtue of having gained or lost electrons.
iota (Greek) a Greek letter > IOTAS.
ired (Pt.) IRE, to anger.
ires (3rd.) IRE, to anger.
irid Any plant of the IRIS family > IRIDS.
iris (Noun) part of the eye > IRISES or IRIDES. (Verb) to give the form of a rainbow to > IRISES, IRISING, IRISED.
irks (3rd.) IRK, to annoy or weary.
iron To furnish with iron (a metallic element) > IRONS, IRONING, IRONED.
isba (Russian) a Russian log hut > ISBAS.
isit (S. Afr.) an expression used in response to a statement, sometimes to seek confirmation but often merely to show that one is listening.
isle (Verb) to make an isle of > ISLES, ISLING, ISLED.
isms (Pl.) ISM, any distinctive theory or fad.
isna (Scots) is not. Also ISNAE.
isos (Pl.) ISO, an isolated replay, a TV and film facility.
itas (Pl.) ITA, the miriti palm.
itch To have an uneasy or tingling skin sensation > ITCHES, ITCHING, ITCHED.
item (Verb) to enumerate, to make a note of > ITEMS, ITEMING, ITEMED.
iure (Lat.) by right or law. Also JURE.
iwis (Arch.) certainly. [From I wis, i.e. I know]. Also YWIS.
ixia A S. African shrub > IXIAS. [Gk. ixos, mistletoe].
izar (Arabic) a long cotton outer garment (usually white) worn by Muslim women > IZARS.