Is OHIA a valid word?

OHIA is a Hawaiian tree known for its fluffy red blossoms, called lehua; its plural is OHIAS. It is one of the first plants to grow on new lava flows, so it pairs nicely with AA, the Hawaiian lava word. OHIA clears an O, an I and an A, and the H adds four points. Hawaiian stories link the tree to the lovers Ohia and Lehua, separated by the volcano goddess. Its wood is hard and dense, once used for tools and carvings. Hawaiian forests depend on it, and a fungal disease that attacks it worries islanders today.

Before any bonus squares: O 1 + H 4 + I 1 + A 1 = 7. On a double-word square that's 14, on a triple-word 21, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.

Later in the game, put the H on a 3L square and OHIA is worth 15 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 OHIA and these are still words:

No other word in the list uses exactly the letters O, H, I and A.

OHIA is a Hawaiian tree with bright red flowers, the lehua.

• Vowel-heavy words

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