s-h-a-f-t
SHAFT is a long, narrow rod or passage, often vertical. With two high-value letters (H and F), it's worth 11 points in Scrabble - a solid mid-range scorer.
11
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
SHAFT is a versatile word with applications in engineering, architecture, mining, and everyday objects. From elevator shafts to golf club shafts, this word describes any long, narrow cylindrical or passage-like structure.
SHAFT comes from Old English "sceaft" (pole, rod), related to German "Schaft" and Dutch "schacht." The word shares roots with "shave" - both originally referred to smoothed wooden poles.
Elevator shaft
Building transport
Mine shaft
Underground access
Ventilation shaft
Air circulation
Golf shaft
Club handle
Arrow shaft
Arrow body
Drive shaft
Power transmission
•The deepest mine shaft in the world is over 12,000 feet deep - that's 2.3 miles straight down!
•SHAFT contains both H (4pts) and F (4pts), making it one of the higher-scoring common 5-letter words
•In archery, the shaft makes up 90% of an arrow's length - the term dates back over 1000 years
"SHAFT cleared both my H and F tiles in one play - those high-value consonants were clogging my rack!"
"I extended their SHAFT to SHAFTS for an easy plural - sometimes the simple plays are best."
In context: "A shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the dusty room."
Word game tip: "With 11 points base value, SHAFT is worth targeting for double/triple word scores."
Similar length and difficulty words
Total base points: 11 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 1 | Consonants: 4
SHAFT is excellent for clearing difficult high-value consonants. The H-F combination makes it a premium rack-clearing word.
Double High-Value Strategy
With both H and F worth 4 points each, place either letter on a double/triple letter score for massive gains.
S-Hook Advantage
Starting with S makes SHAFT perfect for pluralizing existing words while scoring your own word.
Extension Options
SHAFT → SHAFTS, SHAFTED, SHAFTING. The -ED and -ING endings open up bingo possibilities.
SHAFT has one valid anagram in Scrabble:
HAFTS
Plural of HAFT (handle of a weapon or tool)
11 points
Shorter words from SHAFT letters:
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like SHAFT