p-a-n-i-c
PANIC Sudden overwhelming fear causing wildly unthinking behavior; a state of extreme anxiety or terror. In word games, PANIC earns 9 base points.
9
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
Panic erupts when fear overwhelms reason, triggering humanity's most primal survival responses. This sudden, contagious terror can transform crowds into stampedes, markets into crashes, and rational minds into chaos. From ancient battlefield routes to modern financial meltdowns, panic has shaped history through its power to dissolve social order in seconds. Understanding panic—its triggers, spread, and management—remains crucial for public safety and personal well-being.
The physiology of panic reveals our evolutionary heritage. When triggered, the amygdala hijacks rational thought, flooding the body with adrenaline and cortisol. Heart rate spikes, breathing becomes shallow, and the prefrontal cortex—our planning center—goes offline. This "fight-flight-freeze" response once saved our ancestors from predators but proves maladaptive in modern contexts. Panic attacks affect 11% of people annually, manifesting as overwhelming physical symptoms without actual danger.
History chronicles panic's devastating power: the 1929 Wall Street Crash began with panicked selling; the 1938 "War of the Worlds" broadcast triggered mass hysteria; the 2020 toilet paper shortage demonstrated pandemic panic buying. Yet panic also drives innovation—fire safety regulations emerged from theater panics, building codes from nightclub stampedes, and emergency protocols from crowd disasters. Each tragedy teaches us how to prevent the next panic-driven catastrophe.
In Scrabble, PANIC delivers reliable mid-range scoring with excellent playability. The 5-letter structure fits easily on crowded boards, while the -IC ending creates natural hooks (PANICS, PANICKY). Common letters ensure you'll often hold the tiles needed, making PANIC a go-to word when you need guaranteed points. Strategic players appreciate its verb forms (PANICKED, PANICKING) for future plays, though these require more tiles and board space.
PANIC originates from the Greek god Pan, ruler of wilderness and shepherds, whose sudden appearances allegedly caused irrational terror in travelers—"panic fear." The Greek "panikos" meant "of Pan," describing the groundless fright attributed to the god's influence. French "panique" entered English in the early 1600s, initially meaning supernatural terror. The financial sense emerged in the 1760s with market "panics." The verb form developed in the 1820s, while "panic attack" as a medical term appeared in the 1960s, reflecting psychology's growing understanding of anxiety disorders.
•PANIC forms easily remembered compounds: PANIC BUTTON, PANIC ROOM, PANIC ATTACK
•The "panic button" was invented in 1964 for bank tellers to silently alert police during robberies
•Crowd panic kills more people than fires—most stadium disasters result from crushing, not flames
"Don't panic! The pilot's calm voice reassured passengers during the turbulence."
"The stock market panic of 1987 saw the Dow drop 22% in a single day."
Other 5-letter words with comparable scoring potential:
Total base points: 9 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 2 (A, I) | Consonants: 3 (P, N, C)
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like PANIC