Word Finder

BETH

b-e-t-h

Hebrew letter
Noun
Basic Level
4 Letters

Quick Definition

BETH is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ב), representing the "b" sound. It also means "house" in Hebrew. In word games, BETH is worth 9 points in Scrabble, with an H providing extra value.

Scrabble Points

9

Points in Scrabble

Base tile values • No multipliers applied

Definition & Meaning

BETH (also spelled "bet" or "beit") is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, following aleph. It has a numerical value of 2 in Hebrew gematria and is one of the seven "double letters" that can have two different pronunciations.

Primary Meanings:

  • Hebrew letter: The second letter of the Hebrew alphabet (ב)
  • House/Home: The Hebrew word "bayit" (בית) meaning house
  • Numerical value: Represents the number 2 in gematria
  • Name origin: Common shortened form of Elizabeth or Bethany
  • Biblical usage: Prefix in place names (Bethlehem, Bethel)

Etymology & Origin

BETH derives from the Hebrew letter ב (bet/beth), which comes from the Proto-Semitic *bayt-, meaning "house." The letter's original pictograph resembled a tent or dwelling.

Historical Development

3000 BCEProto-Sinaitic script shows house-shaped symbol
1000 BCEPhoenician alphabet adopts beth as second letter
800 BCEGreek beta (Β, β) derived from Phoenician beth
700 BCELatin B evolved from Greek beta
1611 CEKing James Bible popularizes "Beth-" place names

Beth in Hebrew

Letter Characteristics

ב

Hebrew character beth

Sound: "B" as in "boy" (with dagesh)

Sound: "V" as in "vine" (without dagesh)

Position: 2nd of 22 letters

Gematria: Numerical value of 2

Beth- Place Names

Bethlehem

"House of bread"

Bethel

"House of God"

Bethesda

"House of mercy"

Bethany

"House of figs"

Did You Know?

BETH is one of several Hebrew letters accepted in English Scrabble (ALEPH, GIMEL, DALETH, etc.)

The letter Beth evolved into the Greek Beta, then the Latin B - making it the ancestor of our letter B

BETH contains the high-value H (4 points), making it worth more than many common 4-letter words

Usage Examples

"The H in BETH made all the difference - I placed it on a double letter score for 8 extra points!"

"I love playing Hebrew letter words like BETH - they always catch opponents off guard."

In context: "The Hebrew class learned that beth represents the concept of 'house' or 'dwelling.'"

Word game tip: "BETH's H is worth 4 points - always try to place it on a double letter score!"

Similar Words

Words by Point Value

Similar length and difficulty words

QUIZ
22 pts
HAZY
19 pts
JINX
18 pts
COZY
18 pts
FOXY
17 pts
LAZY
16 pts
MAZE
15 pts
JAVA
14 pts

Letter Analysis

Letter Distribution

B (3 pts)
1x
E (1 pts)
1x
T (1 pts)
1x
H (4 pts)
1x

Total base points: 9 (Scrabble)

Vowels: 1 | Consonants: 3

Letter Patterns

Pattern:C-V-C-C
High-value tiles:B (3pts), H (4pts)
Total high-value:7/9 points (78%)

Strategic Value

H-clearing
High PPL

BETH has 2.25 points per letter - excellent for clearing the difficult H tile while maintaining good scoring efficiency.

Word Game Strategy

Maximizing BETH Points

1

H Tile Priority

The H (4pts) is BETH's MVP. Always aim to place it on double/triple letter scores for 8-12 points from one tile!

2

Hebrew Letter Strategy

Learn other Hebrew letters: ALEPH, GIMEL, DALETH, HE, VAV, ZAYIN. They're all valid and unexpected!

3

TH Combination Power

The TH ending creates opportunities for parallel plays with words like THE, THAT, THIS.

Anagrams of BETH

BETH has no valid full anagrams in standard Scrabble dictionaries. However, you can make these shorter words from its letters:

BET (5pts)
THE (6pts)
ETH (6pts)
BE (4pts)
HE (5pts)
EH (5pts)

Note: ETH is another Hebrew letter name (ð in Old English too)!

Master This Word

Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like BETH