d-r-o-u-g-h-t
DROUGHT is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall leading to water shortage. In word games, it's a valuable 7-letter word featuring the tricky GH combination, perfect for earning the 50-point bingo bonus.
12
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
A DROUGHT is nature's harsh reminder of water's precious value—a prolonged period when rain refuses to fall and the earth cracks with thirst. From California's megadroughts to Africa's devastating dry spells, droughts transform landscapes and lives. They create poverty through crop failure, force mass migrations, and challenge even the cleverest quizzers to find solutions for water scarcity.
In word games, DROUGHT delivers 12 base points. Using all 7 tiles earns you the coveted 50-point bingo bonus, making your total score 62 points before any multipliers! The GH combination (worth 6 points combined) plus the D provide solid scoring, while the -OUGHT pattern offers strategic flexibility.
Pro tip: DROUGHT contains the valuable -OUGHT ending shared with BROUGHT, THOUGHT, and FOUGHT. This makes it excellent for parallel plays. Look for opportunities to build from DR- prefixes or play off existing words ending in -OUGH. The word's balanced structure makes it a tournament favorite!
DROUGHT comes from Old English "drugath," meaning "dryness," related to "dryge" (dry). The word evolved through Middle English "droughte" before settling into its modern form. The silent GH reflects its Germanic origins—similar to "thought" and "bought." First recorded before 1000 CE, it originally meant both "dryness" and "thirst" before specializing to mean prolonged lack of rainfall.
•DROUGHT features the valuable GH combination (6 points) - memorize words with silent letters!
•Weather words like DROUGHT are perfect for quizzers - everyone knows them but forgets they're valid!
•The -OUGHT ending in DROUGHT appears in BROUGHT, THOUGHT, FOUGHT - a crucial pattern!
"DROUGHT for a bingo! 62 points plus 50 - that GH combination really makes it rain points!"
"Weather words like DROUGHT are my secret weapon - perfect when the tile bag runs dry!"
BUZZWORD
32 pts
PUZZLED
28 pts
MAXIMIZE
28 pts
JUKEBOX
27 pts
OXIDIZE
24 pts
COMPLEX
20 pts
AMAZING
19 pts
EXAMPLE
18 pts