Is ETH a Scrabble Word? Yes — Valid in TWL & SOWPODS
ETH is a piece of English language history you can play on the Scrabble board. It's the name of the Old English letter ð — that crossed-d character representing the voiced "th" sound in words like "the" and "this." Valid in both TWL and SOWPODS at 6 points, ETH belongs to an elite group of letter-name words every serious player should know.
ETH
6 points · E(1) + T(1) + H(4) · Old English letter ð · Both dictionaries
ETH is valid in both TWL and SOWPODS. The name of the Old English letter ð (voiced "th" sound). High-scoring 3-letter word thanks to the H tile.
6
Points
✓
Valid in TWL
✓
Valid in SOWPODS
ð
The Letter
What Is ETH?
📖 Definition
ETH (also spelled edh) is the name of the Old English letter ð (uppercase Ð). It represented the voiced dental fricative — the "th" sound in "the," "this," "that," and "bathe." Old English used both ð (eth) and þ (thorn) for "th" sounds. ETH remains in modern Icelandic and Faroese alphabets today.
Letter-Name Words Valid in Scrabble
ETH belongs to a family of words that name letters from various alphabets — gold for Scrabble players:
Old English Letters
ETH (6pts) — ð, the voiced "th"
ASH (6pts) — æ, the "a" in "cat"
Greek Letters
PHI (8pts), CHI (8pts), PSI (5pts)
ETA (3pts), RHO (6pts), NU (2pts)
Hebrew Letters
FE (5pts), PE (4pts), HE (5pts)
BETH (9pts), GIMEL (8pts)
English Letter Names
ZEE (12pts), ZED (13pts)
ESS (3pts), CEE (5pts), DEE (4pts)
Strategic Value of ETH
H placement: ETH puts the 4-point H in play with common tiles (E and T). On a double letter square, H scores 8 alone — making ETH worth 10+ easily.
Hook plays: ETH hooks forward into ETHS (plural). Back hooks include METH, BETH, and SETH-like patterns.
Rack management: E, T, H are all common tiles. When they appear together without longer options, ETH gives you 6 points and rack turnover.
ETH in History
🧩 Timeline
7th century: ð first appears in Old English manuscripts for "th" sounds.
13th century: Both eth and thorn fall out of English as the "th" digraph takes over.
Today: ð remains in Icelandic and Faroese alphabets. Also used in IPA phonetics worldwide.
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