WELL is a versatile word with multiple meanings: a deep hole for water, in good health, satisfactorily, or to spring up or flow.
Yes. WELL is in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools and scores 7 points in Scrabble, 9 in Words With Friends and 7 in Wordfeud (base tile values, no board multipliers). Always check the dictionary your game uses (NWL, Collins or the WWF list) before playing.
| Letter | W | E | L | L | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Words With Friends | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Wordfeud | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
WELL is one of English's most versatile words, functioning as multiple parts of speech with distinct meanings. As a noun, it refers to a deep shaft sunk into the ground to obtain water, oil, or gas. As an adverb, it means "in a good or satisfactory way" ("she sings well"). As an adjective, it means "in good health" ("I feel well today"). As a verb, it means to rise to the surface and spill or flow forth.
The word's flexibility makes it essential in everyday English. From wishing wells that capture our hopes to oil wells that fuel economies, from doing well in life to tears welling up in moments of emotion, WELL touches multiple aspects of human experience.
In idiomatic usage, WELL appears in countless expressions: "well done," "as well as," "may as well," "alive and well," and "all's well that ends well." This small word carries profound meaning across contexts, from measuring success to expressing emotion.
"Well" has ancient roots, deriving from Old English "wella" (spring, stream) and "wel" (in a good way), which trace back to Proto-Germanic "*wallan" (to bubble, boil) and "*wel-" (to wish, will). The water-source meaning connects to the Indo-European root "*wel-" meaning "to turn, roll," referring to water bubbling up. The adverbial sense comes from the same root as "will" and "wealth," originally meaning "according to one's wishes." These separate origins merged in Middle English, creating the modern word's remarkable versatility.
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of WELL.
Hooks: front DWELL, SWELL; back WELLS, WELLY.
Words inside WELL: 3 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: WEELLEL. See all words from WELL.