Yes. UNAI is a valid word.
UNAI is valid in the North American word list used for the Scrabble board game and other crossword tile games.
UNAI 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 UNAI
UNAI is a spelling of UNAU, the two-toed sloth of Central and South America; its plural is UNAIS. With AI, the three-toed sloth, that gives you three sloth words: AI, UNAI and UNAU. UNAI clears a U, an A and an I with one N. Sloths move so slowly that algae grow in their fur, giving them a greenish tint. Both sloth spellings come from Tupi, an Indigenous language of Brazil.
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UNAI scores 4 points
Before any bonus squares: U 1 + N 1 + A 1 + I 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: UNAI as the first play
Later in the game, put the U on a 3L square and UNAI is worth 6 before any word bonus.
Hooks: one tile makes a new word
After UNAI (1):
- UNAISform of UNAI: a sloth of Central America that has two long claws on each forefoot and three long claws on each hindfoot
Place that one tile so it also forms a word in the other direction and both words score.
Longer words from UNAI
Change one tile
Same letters, other words
No other word in the list uses exactly the letters U, N, A and I.
Memory tip
UNAI is a two-toed sloth, another spelling of UNAU.
On these lists
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.
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.