Yes. AW is a valid word.
AW is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
AW is in the NASPA Word List 2023 (NWL2023), the North American list that Tileside uses for challenges and the one used in club and tournament play.
About AW
AW is a cry of protest, disgust or disbelief, as in “aw, that's not fair”. With the 4-point W, AW is worth 5 before bonuses, and it is one of only a few two-letter homes for the W: AW, OW, WE and WO.
Settle the next one at the table: score your game free in Tileside →
AW scores 5 points
Before any bonus squares: A 1 + W 4 = 5. On a double-word square that's 10, on a triple-word 15, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.
Example: AW as the first play
Later in the game, put the W on a 3L square and AW is worth 13 before any word bonus.
Hooks: one tile makes a new word
In front of AW (14):
- CAWutter a cry, characteristic of crows, rooks, or ravens
- DAWcommon black-and-grey Eurasian bird noted for thievery
- HAWa spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Crataegus
- JAWto jabber
- LAWthe collection of rules imposed by authority
- MAWinformal terms for the mouth
- NAW
- PAWa clawed foot of an animal especially a quadruped
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- RAW(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
- SAWform of SEE: perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
- TAWthe 23rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
- VAW
- WAWthe 6th letter of the Hebrew alphabet
- YAWan erratic deflection from an intended course
After AW (4):
Place that one tile so it also forms a word in the other direction and both words score.
Longer words from AW
Words that start with AW:
- AWAYfrom a particular thing or place or position (`forth' is obsolete)
- AWEDform of AWE: an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration
- AWEEsame as AWHILE: for a short time
- AWESform of AWE: an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration
- AWLSform of AWL: a pointed tool for marking surfaces or for punching small holes
- AWNSform of AWN: slender bristlelike appendage found on the bracts of grasses
- AWNYform of AWN: slender bristlelike appendage found on the bracts of grasses
- AWOLabsent without permission
Change one tile
Swap any one letter of AW and these are still words:
Same letters, other words
No other word in the list uses exactly the letters A and W.
Memory tip
AW is a cry of protest or disbelief, as in “aw, come on!”. Add an E for AWE, an L for AWL or an N for AWN.
On these lists
Other two-letter words starting with A
Check words at the table, free
Tileside keeps score, checks words like this one during a challenge, tracks the tiles left in the bag and times turns. It runs in your phone's browser with no account and works offline.
Tileside checks words against the North American list, the NASPA Word List 2023. Your group's chosen dictionary always wins. Playing the international (Collins) list? Turn on its 20 extra two-letter words in Setup.
Word list: NASPA Word List 2023, used under license. NASPA Word List 2023 Edition © NASPA 2023. The copy included in this app is licensed for personal use. You may not use it for any commercial purposes.
Works with the Scrabble board game, played at the table. Tileside is an independent product, not affiliated with or endorsed by the makers of Scrabble.