Yes. OW is a valid word.
OW is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
OW 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 OW
OW is the sound of sudden pain. It is one of the few two-letter homes for the 4-point W: AW, OW, WE and WO. It also hooks into OWE, OWL and OWN, all three-letter words worth knowing.
Settle the next one at the table: score your game free in Tileside →
OW scores 5 points
Before any bonus squares: O 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: OW as the first play
Later in the game, put the W on a 3L square and OW is worth 13 before any word bonus.
Hooks: one tile makes a new word
In front of OW (15):
After OW (4):
Place that one tile so it also forms a word in the other direction and both words score.
Longer words from OW
Words that start with OW:
- OWEDform of OWE: be obliged to pay or repay
- OWESform of OWE: be obliged to pay or repay
- OWIEa minor injury
- OWLSform of OWL: nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
- OWLY
- OWNSform of OWN: belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself)
- OWSE
- OWTS
Change one tile
Swap any one letter of OW and these are still words:
Same letters, other words
Memory tip
OW is the sound of a stubbed toe. Reverse it for WO, and add an E for OWE, an L for OWL or an N for OWN.
On these lists
Other two-letter words starting with O
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.