PUR-pul
PURPLE is a vivid color between red and blue, representing royalty, luxury, and mystery. In word games, this 6-letter word offers solid scoring potential with two P tiles worth 3 points each.
10
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
đź’ˇ Pro Tip:
PURPLE contains two P tiles (3 points each), making it particularly valuable. The double P creates opportunities for parallel plays, potentially scoring both Ps on premium squares. As a color word, it's commonly known and easy to remember during games.
Purple occupies a unique position in the spectrum of colors—a rich, deep hue that emerges when red and blue light combine. This secondary color has captivated humanity for millennia, representing everything from imperial power to spiritual enlightenment, from creative expression to mysterious allure. In the natural world, purple appears rarely, making it one of the most prized and symbolically loaded colors across cultures.
Scientifically, purple exists at the shortest wavelengths of visible light, approximately 380-450 nanometers. True purple differs from violet—while violet appears in the rainbow as a spectral color, purple is a non-spectral color created by combining red and blue wavelengths. This distinction explains why purple feels both warm and cool, energetic and calming, making it uniquely versatile in art, design, and psychology.
The rarity of purple in nature contributed to its association with royalty and wealth. Ancient purple dye, extracted from Mediterranean sea snails (Murex brandaris), required approximately 10,000 snails to produce just one gram of pure dye. This "Tyrian purple" cost more than gold, making purple garments exclusive to emperors, kings, and the highest nobility. Roman law even restricted wearing purple to the imperial family—a tradition that influenced European royalty for centuries.
In modern color psychology, purple evokes creativity, imagination, and wisdom. Lighter purples (lavender, lilac) suggest romance and nostalgia, while deeper purples (eggplant, plum) convey luxury and sophistication. Marketing research shows purple packaging increases perceived product value by up to 23%. The color appears frequently in beauty, wellness, and premium brand identities, leveraging its associations with transformation and indulgence.
Purple holds profound spiritual significance across religions and mystical traditions. In Christianity, purple represents penance and preparation during Advent and Lent. Buddhism associates purple with the crown chakra and spiritual awakening. New Age philosophy links purple to the "third eye" and psychic abilities. This spiritual dimension makes purple a popular choice for meditation spaces, healing environments, and sacred art.
For Scrabble enthusiasts, PURPLE presents strategic opportunities beyond its base 10 points. The double P configuration allows for creative board positioning—playing PURPLE parallel to existing words can score both Ps while forming multiple two-letter words (UP, PA, PI). The word's common letters (U, R, L, E) increase playability, while the less common double P adds scoring punch. PURPLE often appears in themed puzzle sets focusing on colors, making it a valuable word to remember.
The etymology of PURPLE varies based on its origin and usage in the English language.
Various purple hues and tones
Violet
Bluish-purple, spectral color
Lavender
Pale purple with gray tones
Plum
Dark purple with red undertones
Mauve
Grayish purple, muted tone
Amethyst
Medium purple, gemstone hue
Indigo
Deep purple-blue
Associated color vocabulary
Magenta
Purple-red, printer's primary
Burgundy
Dark red-purple, wine color
Royal Purple
Traditional deep purple
Lilac
Pale purple-pink
Eggplant
Dark purple, aubergine
Orchid
Bright purple-pink
Adjective
purple
The purple flowers bloomed.
Noun
purple
She wore purple to the gala.
Verb (informal)
purpled
The sky purpled at sunset.
Adverb Form
purplish
A purplish hue appeared.
Related Terms
Overly elaborate writing
Period of success or luck
Born into nobility/wealth
US military decoration
"The purple twilight transformed the mountains into majestic silhouettes, painting the sky with shades of lavender and deep violet."
"She chose a rich purple velvet for the curtains, knowing the royal hue would add sophistication to the Victorian parlor."
"The artist mixed ultramarine blue with crimson red, creating the perfect purple for the iris petals in her botanical illustration."
"The Purple Heart medal gleamed on his uniform, a testament to his sacrifice and bravery in defending his country."
"During the company's purple patch, profits soared 300% and they expanded into three new international markets."
"Playing PURPLE with both Ps on double letter scores gave me 16 points just from those two tiles—enough to take the lead!"
"I held onto PURPLE for three turns, waiting for the perfect spot to maximize both P tiles on premium squares."
Total base points: 10 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 2 | Consonants: 4
Double letters: P appears twice
6-letter anagrams and related words
Full anagrams:
Can be extended to:
Contains these words:
Note: Perfect rhymes for PURPLE are rare in English
If you can't play PURPLE, consider these subwords:
Purple's association with royalty spans millennia. Roman emperors wore purple togas, Byzantine rulers signed in purple ink, and British royalty still uses purple in ceremonial robes. The phrase "born to the purple" originated in Byzantine courts, where imperial children were born in rooms with purple marble walls. This exclusivity made purple a symbol of power that persists in modern corporate branding and luxury goods.
Purple bridges the physical and spiritual realms in many traditions. The purple chakra (crown chakra) represents enlightenment in Hindu philosophy. Christian liturgy uses purple during Advent and Lent for penance and preparation. New Age movements associate purple with psychic abilities and intuition. This spiritual connection makes purple prominent in meditation spaces, healing crystals, and religious art worldwide.
Purple revolutionized popular culture through music and media. Prince made purple his signature, influencing fashion for decades. "The Color Purple" addressed racial and gender issues, winning Pulitzer Prize acclaim. Purple became the color of feminism (combining pink and blue), LGBTQ+ pride, and epilepsy awareness. In marketing, purple suggests premium quality—used by brands like Cadbury, Yahoo, and Twitch.
The creation of synthetic purple dye in 1856 by William Henry Perkin revolutionized chemistry and fashion. This accidental discovery while trying to synthesize quinine launched the synthetic dye industry, made purple accessible to common people, and established the foundation for modern pharmaceutical research. "Perkin's mauve" democratized purple, ending its 3,000-year reign as the exclusive color of nobility.
Purple vs. Violet
Purple is red+blue; violet is a spectral color
Purple vs. Magenta
Purple leans blue; magenta leans red
Purple vs. Lavender
Purple is deeper; lavender is pale purple
Pronunciation
PUR-pul (not PURR-pull)
VIOLET
Bluish-purple spectral color
MAGENTA
Reddish-purple hue
LAVENDER
Pale purple flower color
INDIGO
Deep purple-blue
PLUM
Dark purple fruit color
AMETHYST
Purple gemstone
Other valuable 6-letter color and double-letter words in Scrabble
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like PURPLE