TEK-sel
Texel is a fundamental unit in computer graphics representing a texture element - the smallest unit of a texture map. In 3D graphics and game development, texels are to textures what pixels are to images, forming the building blocks of all textured surfaces in digital environments.
No. TEXEL is not in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools (proper nouns, abbreviations and most slang are excluded), so it cannot be played in Scrabble, Words With Friends or Wordfeud. If it were allowed, its tiles would add up to 12 points in Scrabble.
| Letter | T | E | X | E | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Words With Friends | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| Wordfeud | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
A texel (texture element) is the fundamental unit of texture space in computer graphics, analogous to how a pixel is the fundamental unit of picture space. When a texture is applied to a 3D surface, each texel corresponds to a specific location on that texture map, containing color and sometimes additional data like transparency or normal information.
In modern graphics programming, texels play a crucial role in rendering realistic surfaces. When you see detailed wood grain on a virtual table, rust on a game character's armor, or realistic skin textures in animated films, you're looking at millions of texels working together to create those visual effects. The term combines "texture" and "element," following the naming pattern established by "pixel" (picture element).
Beyond computer graphics, "Texel" also refers to a Dutch island in the Wadden Sea, the largest and most populated of the West Frisian Islands. Additionally, it's the name of a breed of sheep originating from this island, known for their lean meat and high fertility. However, in word games, players most commonly encounter it as the graphics term.
The word "texel" emerged in computer graphics terminology in the 1980s as a portmanteau of "texture" and "element." This naming convention follows the pattern established by "pixel" (picture element) and later adopted by similar terms like "voxel" (volume element).
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of TEXEL.
Words inside TEXEL: 13 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: TELEXLEXEXLEETTEELTELEEELLEELETTEETELEL. See all words from TEXEL.