Yes. BO is a valid word.
BO is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
BO 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 BO
In the word list, BO means a pal, a friendly term of address. It also hooks many ways: BOA, BOB, BOD, BOG, BOO, BOP, BOS, BOT, BOW, BOX and BOY.
Settle the next one at the table: score your game free in Tileside →
BO scores 4 points
Before any bonus squares: B 3 + O 1 = 4. On a double-word square that's 8, on a triple-word 12, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.
Example: BO as the first play
Later in the game, put the B on a 3L square and BO is worth 10 before any word bonus.
Hooks: one tile makes a new word
After BO (11):
- BOAa long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
- BOBmove up and down repeatedly
- BODalternative names for the body of a human being
- BOGwet spongy ground of decomposing vegetation
- BOOshow displeasure, as after a performance or speech
- BOPan early form of modern jazz (originating around 1940)
- BOS
- BOTbotfly larva
Place that one tile so it also forms a word in the other direction and both words score.
Longer words from BO
Other forms of BO (1):
Words that start with BO:
- BOAROld World wild swine having a narrow body and prominent tusks from which most domestic swine come
- BOASform of BOA: a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
- BOATa small vessel for travel on water
- BOBO
- BOBSform of BOB: move up and down repeatedly
- BOCKa very strong lager traditionally brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring
- BODEform of BIDE: dwell
- BODSform of BOD: alternative names for the body of a human being
Change one tile
Swap any one letter of BO and these are still words:
Same letters, other words
These use exactly the letters of BO:
- OBan objection (informal)
Add one tile: words from these letters plus one more
BO + B
- BOBmove up and down repeatedly
BO + C
- COBnut of any of several trees of the genus Corylus
BO + D
- BODalternative names for the body of a human being
BO + E
BO + F
- FOBa vest pocket to hold a pocket watch
BO + H
- HOB(folklore) a small grotesque supernatural creature that makes trouble for human beings
Memory tip
BO means a pal or buddy; think of it as a friendly nickname. Add an A for BOA, a G for BOG or an X for BOX.
On these lists
Other two-letter words starting with B
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.