Is ZOEAE a valid word?

ZOEAE is a plural of ZOEA, an early larval stage of crabs; ZOEAS is valid too. Five letters with four vowels and the 10-point Z, ZOEAE is one of the best plays in the list for a rack with the Z and a pile of vowels. If ZOEA is on the board, an E on the end makes ZOEAE and scores the Z again. Crab larvae drift in the plankton for weeks before they settle and grow into tiny crabs. Each zoea has big eyes and long spines that help it float. Marine biologists collect them with fine nets to study how crabs grow and where they drift with the currents.

Before any bonus squares: Z 10 + O 1 + E 1 + A 1 + E 1 = 14. On a double-word square that's 28, on a triple-word 42, and every letter bonus under one of these tiles is applied first.

Later in the game, put the Z on a 3L square and ZOEAE is worth 34 before any word bonus.

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

No other word in the list uses exactly the letters Z, O, E, A and E.

ZOEAE is a plural of ZOEA, a crab larva. The Z plus four vowels.

• Vowel-heavy words

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