Going Off Planet

We are going off planet this week. In other words if you have the letters PLANET and a blank what words of 7 letters can you make.

PLANET + A - there are 3 words

PLANET + C - there is 1 word

PLANET + D - there is 1 word

PLANET + G - there is 1 word

PLANET + I - there is 1 word

PLANET + O - there is 1 word

PLANET + R - there are 3 words

PLANET + S - there are 2 words

PLANET + U - there is 1 word

PLANET + X - there is 1 word

PLANET + Y -there are 2 words

This letter group is an interesting mix of some very easy words with some combinations where it is quite hard to see the answer.

In all there are 17 words to find, but I am give yourself an early point for PLANETS, because I am going to assume you would have found that one! It also enables me to talk about that word before moving on to the answers.

If you are lucky enough to pick up PLANETS at the start of the game the best place to put it is with the P on the double letter score. That gets you the best score and it places consonants next to the double letter scores making it more difficult for your opponent to get a big score in return if they have one of the high scoring tiles.

You might say that is basic, but my point is that in that spot you might be lucky enough to get a chance later to score 57 points. You can extend it back to the triple word square making the word EXOPLANETS. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Exoplanets are planets in another solar system. If planets is played later in the game in another part of the board there may be room to play PROTOPLANETS, which are planets in the initial stages of formation.

Time to look at the answers for the anagram quiz:

PLANATE Having a flat surface

PLANTAE A plural of PLANTA, the sole of the foot. PLANTAS is also good

PLATANE A large tree spelled either PLATAN or PLATANE

CLAPNET A net that is made to clap together suddenly by pulling a string

PLANTED Placed in the ground for growing

PANTLEG The leg part of a pair of trousers

PANTILE An overlapping S shaped roofing tile

POLENTA A thick mush of cornmeal

PANTLER An officer in charge of ordering provisions

PLANTER Some who plants

REPLANT To plant again

PLANETS Celestial bodies

PLATENS Parts of a printing press that press the paper against the type

UPLEANT Past tense of UPLEAN, to rest one’s weight. Also UPLEANED

EXPLANT To transplant living tissue

APLENTY In a state of being plentiful

PENALTY Punishment imposed for the breach of a rule or law

So there you are. All the words that go with PLANET. If the first 6 tiles you took out of the scrabble bag were those ones, there is a 56% chance that the next tile would enable you to make a bonus word. There are some letter combinations that are much better than that, but 56% is not to be sneezed at.

Happy Scrabbling

Patrick