peet-suh-REE-uh
PIZZERIA is a restaurant specializing in pizza, typically offering both dine-in and takeout service. With double Z's worth 20 points alone, this Italian loanword delivers exceptional scoring potential—28 points in Scrabble before multipliers—making it one of the highest-scoring 8-letter everyday words.
Yes. PIZZERIA is in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools and scores 28 points in Scrabble, 29 in Words With Friends and 29 in Wordfeud (base tile values, no board multipliers). Always check the dictionary your game uses (NWL, Collins or the WWF list) before playing.
| Letter | P | I | Z | Z | E | R | I | A | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| Words With Friends | 4 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
| Wordfeud | 4 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
PIZZERIA represents one of the most beloved culinary institutions in modern culture—a specialized restaurant where the ancient art of pizza-making meets contemporary dining. This Italian word, now thoroughly naturalized in English, combines exceptional Scrabble value with universal recognition. The double Z configuration makes it a rare linguistic treasure, worth 28 base points in Scrabble, while its cultural ubiquity ensures every player knows this powerhouse word.
A pizzeria is fundamentally a restaurant that specializes in preparing and serving pizza, though modern pizzerias often expand their menus to include calzones, stromboli, pasta dishes, salads, and Italian desserts. The defining feature remains the pizza oven—whether traditional wood-fired, coal-burning, gas, or electric—that reaches temperatures of 700-900°F to create the perfect crust. From humble neighborhood shops to gourmet establishments, pizzerias range from takeout-only storefronts to full-service restaurants with extensive wine lists.
The pizzeria concept originated in Naples, Italy, where Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, established in 1830, claims the title of world's first pizzeria. These early establishments served pizza as street food to working-class Neapolitans. The modern pizzeria truly exploded after World War II, when returning American GIs craved the pizzas they'd discovered in Italy. Gennaro Lombardi opened America's first pizzeria in New York's Little Italy in 1905, launching an industry that now generates over $145 billion annually worldwide.
The word "pizzeria" follows a classic Italian linguistic pattern, combining "pizza" with the suffix "-eria" (place where something is made or sold). This construction mirrors other Italian establishments: gelateria (ice cream shop), pasticceria (pastry shop), and birreria (beer hall). The suffix derives from Latin "-arius," indicating a place of business or trade, transformed through Italian phonological evolution.
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of PIZZERIA.
Hooks: no front hooks; back PIZZERIAS.
Words inside PIZZERIA: 46 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: PIAZZEPIZZARAZZPRIZEPREZZAIREZAPZEPZIPIZARRAZEZA. See all words from PIZZERIA.