e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e
EXPENSIVE means costing a lot of money or having a high price. In word games, it's a premium 9-letter word featuring the high-value X tile (8 points) that can lead to impressive scores.
21
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
EXPENSIVE describes something that costs a large amount of money, requires significant financial outlay, or is priced at a premium. It's the opposite of cheap or affordable, often implying high quality, luxury, or exclusivity.
In word games, EXPENSIVE is a powerhouse play worth 21 base points. The X tile alone contributes 8 points, making this word particularly valuable when placed strategically on premium squares.
As a 9-letter word, EXPENSIVE can be challenging to place but rewarding when successful. Expert players often build towards playing this word by creating opportunities with shorter words containing compatible letters like EX-, -IVE, or -PENS-.
EXPENSIVE derives from the Latin "expensus," past participle of "expendere" meaning "to weigh out" or "pay out." It entered English in the early 17th century, initially meaning "given to expenditure" before evolving to mean "costly" by the 1630s. The word literally suggests something that requires much "expense" or outlay.
•EXPENSIVE contains the X tile (8 points), one of only two X tiles in a standard Scrabble set
•Playing EXPENSIVE across a triple word score can yield over 60 points before any other bonuses
•The -IVE suffix in EXPENSIVE is one of the most common and versatile word endings in English
"Landing EXPENSIVE with the X on a triple letter score netted me 72 points in one play!"
"I always save my X for words like EXPENSIVE - it's worth waiting for the right board position!"
BUZZWORD
32 pts
PUZZLED
28 pts
MAXIMIZE
28 pts
JUKEBOX
27 pts
OXIDIZE
24 pts
COMPLEX
20 pts
AMAZING
19 pts
EXAMPLE
18 pts