t-o-m-a-t-o
TOMATO The edible fruit of Solanum lycopersicum; a culinary staple that sparked botanical debates and transformed global cuisine. In word games, TOMATO scores 8 base points.
8
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
The tomato's journey from poisonous ornamental to culinary cornerstone represents one of history's greatest food transformations. Native to western South America, tomatoes were cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas long before Spanish conquistadors introduced them to Europe in the 16th century. Initially grown as decorative "love apples," they were feared as deadly nightshades until brave Italian cooks proved their edibility, revolutionizing Mediterranean cuisine forever.
Botanically a fruit but legally a vegetable (according to the 1893 U.S. Supreme Court case Nix v. Hedden), tomatoes embody culinary contradiction. This classification battle arose from taxation disputes but reflects deeper tensions between scientific precision and practical usage. Today's 10,000+ tomato varieties range from tiny currant tomatoes to 3-pound beefsteaks, from purple Cherokee heirlooms to striped Green Zebras, each telling a story of human selection and regional adaptation.
Modern tomatoes fuel a $190 billion global industry, starring in everything from Italian marinara to Indian curry, Mexican salsa to American ketchup. They're nutritional powerhouses, rich in lycopene (an antioxidant that increases when cooked), vitamin C, and potassium. The tomato's umami flavor comes from high glutamate content, explaining why they enhance so many dishes. From greenhouse hydroponics to backyard gardens, tomatoes remain the world's most popular home-grown crop.
In Scrabble, TOMATO offers solid middle-tier scoring with excellent flexibility. The double T and double O create hooking opportunities, while common letters ensure playability. Strategic players appreciate TOMATO's extensions: TOMATOES (plural), TOMATOEY (adjective), and various compound possibilities. The word's familiar structure makes it easy to spot in jumbled tiles, while its everyday usage means opponents rarely challenge it—a perfect combination for reliable point accumulation.
TOMATO derives from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word "tomatl," meaning "the swelling fruit." Spanish conquistadors adapted it to "tomate," which entered English in the 1590s. Early English forms included "tomate" and "tomata" before standardizing as "tomato." The pronunciation divide—"to-MAY-to" (British) versus "to-MAH-to" (American)—inspired Gershwin's 1937 song "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." Other languages preserved different aspects: French "tomate," Italian "pomodoro" (golden apple), and German "Tomate" all reflect the fruit's complex cultural journey from Aztec markets to global plates.
•TOMATO contains two sets of double letters (T-O), creating multiple hooking opportunities
•The tomato genome contains 35,000 genes—10,000 more than humans—explaining their incredible diversity
•Americans consume 31 pounds of tomatoes per person annually, half as processed products like ketchup
"The heirloom tomato varieties at the farmers market included Cherokee Purple and Brandywine."
"You say to-MAY-to, I say to-MAH-to—but we both agree it's delicious."
Comparable scoring words from the culinary world:
Total base points: 8 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 3 (O, A, O) | Consonants: 3 (T, M, T)
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like TOMATO