Is CWM a valid word?

CWM is a Welsh word, said roughly like “koom”, for a deep, bowl-shaped hollow at the head of a mountain valley, carved out by a glacier; geologists also call it a cirque. Its plural is CWMS. In Welsh the W is used as a vowel, which is why the word looks so strange in English. For a player, CWM is gold: three consonants, a 3-point C, a 4-point W and a 3-point M, and no vowels needed. It is one of the most famous challenge-winners in the game.

Before any bonus squares: C 3 + W 4 + M 3 = 10. On a double-word square that's 20, on a triple-word 30, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.

Later in the game, put the W on a 3L square and CWM is worth 18 before any word bonus.

Place that one tile so it also forms a word in the other direction and both words score.

Swap any one letter of CWM and these are still words:

No other word in the list uses exactly the letters C, W and M.

CWM is a Welsh word for a bowl-shaped hollow on a mountain, carved by a glacier. The W works as a vowel in Welsh.

• Words without vowels

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