gat
GAT is slang for a pistol or gun, derived from "Gatling gun." It's also the archaic past tense of "get." In word games, GAT is a valuable 3-letter word worth 4 points, perfect for tight board situations and quick scoring opportunities.
Yes. GAT is in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools and scores 4 points in Scrabble, 5 in Words With Friends and 5 in Wordfeud (base tile values, no board multipliers). Always check the dictionary your game uses (NWL, Collins or the WWF list) before playing.
| Letter | G | A | T | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Words With Friends | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Wordfeud | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
GAT carries two distinct meanings that showcase English's linguistic diversity. Most commonly in modern usage, "gat" serves as American slang for a gun or pistol, particularly popular in 1920s-1940s gangster vernacular and later in hip-hop culture. This usage evolved from "Gatling gun," the rapid-fire weapon invented by Richard Gatling in 1861. The shortened form "gat" emerged in urban American slang by the 1900s, immortalized in crime novels, film noir, and gangster movies.
The second meaning of GAT represents the archaic simple past tense of "get." Before modern English standardized "got" as the past tense, "gat" appeared frequently in older texts, particularly in biblical translations and classical literature. You'll encounter phrases like "he gat him up" (he got himself up) in the King James Bible and works by Chaucer. While this usage sounds antiquated today, it remains valid in word games and appears in historical or deliberately archaic writing.
In gangster slang, "gat" became synonymous with criminal culture during Prohibition. Classic phrases like "pack a gat" (carry a gun) or "reach for your gat" populated pulp fiction and early Hollywood. The word experienced a revival in 1990s hip-hop, where artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and The Notorious B.I.G. frequently referenced "gats" in their lyrics, cementing its place in modern urban vocabulary.
The etymology of "gat" reveals two entirely separate linguistic paths that converged into one spelling. The older meaning—past tense of "get"—traces back to Old English "geat," from Proto-Germanic "*getan." This Germanic root connects to Old Norse "geta," Gothic "gitan," and ultimately Proto-Indo-European "*ghend-" (to seize, take). Medieval English used "gat" as the standard past tense until "got" gradually replaced it by the 16th century.
Anagrams: TAG
Hooks: no front hooks; back GATE, GATS.
Words inside GAT: 4 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: TAGAGATTA. See all words from GAT.