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Is IF a valid word?

I1
F4

Yes. IF is a valid word.

IF is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.

IF 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.

Meaning

A possibility.

More on Wiktionary

About IF

IF is the little word for a condition, and in the word list it can also be a noun: there are no ifs about it, so IFS is valid. With the 4-point F, IF is worth 5 before bonuses, and it is one of the few two-letter homes for the F, along with EF, FA, FE and OF. Add another F for IFF, the logician's “if and only if”.

Settle the next one at the table: score your game free in Tileside →

IF scores 5 points

Before any bonus squares: I 1 + F 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.

I1
F4

Example: IF as the first play

IF through the ★: I 1 + F 4 = 5, and the ★ doubles the first word: 10 points. New tiles are outlined.

Later in the game, put the F on a 3L square and IF is worth 13 before any word bonus.

Hooks: one tile makes a new word

In front of IF (4):

After IF (2):

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

Longer words from IF

Other forms of IF (1):

Words that start with IF:

Change one tile

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

  • EFthe letter F
  • OFcoming from
  • IDa part of the psyche
  • INinside; also, to harvest
  • ISa form of BE, as in “it is”
  • ITthe third person singular neuter pronoun

Same letters, other words

No other word in the list uses exactly the letters I and F.

Add one tile: words from these letters plus one more

IF + B

  • FIBa trivial lie

IF + D

IF + E

IF + F

IF + G

  • FIGa diagram or picture illustrating textual material
  • GIF

IF + K

IF + L

IF + N

  • FINthe cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

IF + R

  • FIRnonresinous wood of a fir tree
  • RIF

Memory tip

IF is the everyday word for a condition. IFF and IFS hook off the end.

On these lists

Other two-letter words starting with I

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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.

Score a gameStudy short words

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.