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Definition, Scrabble score, anagrams & word-game reference
Yes. BADLY is a valid Scrabble word in the UnscrambleTools dictionary (5 letters, 11 base points). It is suitable for casual Scrabble, Words with Friends practice, and anagram study; official tournament lists (NASPA/WESPA) may differ slightly.
Part of speech: adverb
evilly or wickedly; "treated his parents badly"; "to steal is to act badly"
ill, poorly, disadvantageously, severely, gravely, seriously, bad, mischievously, naughtily
Source: Princeton WordNet 3.1
BADLY scores 11 points before board multipliers.
Letter counts: A×1, B×1, D×1, L×1, Y×1
BADLY is a 5-letter answer slot candidate. Filter by length 5, starts with B, ends with Y, or contains letters from your crossing entries in the Crossword Solver and Pattern Finder.
Example: "BADLY — evilly or wickedly; "treated his parents badly"; "to steal is to act badly"" (11 Scrabble points).
BADLY is listed in the UnscrambleTools word-game dictionary used across our unscrambler, anagram, pattern, and scoring tools. Pages like this one exist so you can answer "Is BADLY a Scrabble word?" with data — not guesswork — before you play a tile or fill a crossword slot.
BADLY (adverb): (`ill' is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well; "he was ill prepared"; "it ill befits a man to betray old friends"; "the car runs badly"; "he performed badly on the exam"; "the team played poorly"; "ill-fitting clothes"; "an ill-conceived plan". Additional senses: with unusual distress or resentment or regret or emotional display; "they took their defeat badly"; "took her father's death badly"; "conducted himself very badly at the time of the earthquake"; unfavorably or with disapproval; "tried not to speak ill of the dead"; "thought badly of him for his lack of concern"; in a disadvantageous way; to someone's disadvantage; "the venture turned out badly for the investors"; "angry that the case was settled disadvantageously for them".
In standard Scrabble scoring, BADLY totals 11 points before multipliers. That sum uses official letter values: common tiles (A, E, I, O, U, L, N, S, T, R) are worth 1, while D and G are 2, B, C, M, P are 3, F, H, V, W, Y are 4, K is 5, J and X are 8, and Q and Z are 10. BADLY relies mostly on common tiles, which often makes it easier to play from a mixed rack but caps the raw ceiling compared with high-premium words.
BADLY is 5 letters long, begins with B, ends with Y, and sorts to the alphagram ABDLY. There are 2 anagrams in this dictionary sharing that exact letter bag. Letter makeup: 1 vowel, 4 consonants.
Among 19 tracked 5-letter entries, BADLY ranks by raw score (11 points). Anagram alternatives include BALDY, BLADY — useful when you need the same tiles with a different hook letter. Similar-length words in the same dictionary include JAZZY, FEZZY, FIZZY, FUZZY; open their word pages to compare endings, vowel weight, and crossover potential.
Strategically, BADLY carries 1 vowel and 4 consonants. Its consonant-heavy shape pairs well with open vowel dumps on the board. Hooks on B or Y are common study angles; browse words starting with B and words ending with Y to rehearse parallel sets.
BADLY is a 5-letter answer slot candidate. Filter by length 5, starts with B, ends with Y, or contains letters from your crossing entries in the Crossword Solver and Pattern Finder. For American-style grids, 5-letter entries like BADLY frequently cross shorter words; knowing that BADLY contains A, B, D, L, Y helps you test crossing letters quickly. When you only know a few cells, open the Crossword Solver with a pattern such as b???y to narrow candidates before checking definitions.
Notable letter pairs inside BADLY include AD, BA, DL — each links to a "contains" list for deeper drilling. Unique letters used: B, A, D, L, Y. Letter-frequency tables on this site are built from the same dictionary that powers the Word Unscrambler, so list pages and word pages stay consistent.
Use UnscrambleTools tools together: unscramble badly directly in the Word Unscrambler, rehearse rearrangements in the Anagram Solver, filter crossword slots in the Pattern Finder, and verify 11 points in the Scrabble Score Calculator. Daily puzzle hints and Wordle practice pages share the same dictionary backbone, which keeps scores and validity aligned across the site.
Etymology: UnscrambleTools does not publish a full historical etymology for every rare word-game entry. When we detect recognizable English prefixes or suffixes, we note them in the definition section; otherwise treat BADLY as a playable vocabulary item for puzzles and study.
Example usage: Example: "BADLY — evilly or wickedly; "treated his parents badly"; "to steal is to act badly"" (11 Scrabble points). If you are validating a tournament list, cross-check NASPA or WESPA references — our dictionary optimizes for practical word-game coverage, including obscure but legal entries that appear in casual Scrabble and crossword construction.