earlier: meaning and words from its letters
7 letters · 7 letter points · starts with E · ends with R
Meaning of earlier
adj
- comparative, form-of
comparative form of early: more early
Base or related entry: early.
occurring previously
Example: I shall be late because I missed the earlier train.
Source: Wiktionary — earlier.
adv
- comparative, form-of
comparative form of early: more early
Base or related entry: early.
previously; before now; sooner
Example: From what I vaguely saw earlier this morning, when I had just woken up and was tidying my bed, a tall, bulky person left an unfamiliar box at my front door.
Source: Wiktionary — earlier.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org. Selected senses and forms; quotations omitted. Definition text is CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms by meaning
Words are grouped by sense, so they are not necessarily interchangeable in every context. Search synonyms for earlier.
adjective
(comparative and superlative of ‘early’) more early than; most early
adverb
earlier in time; previously
adverb
comparatives of ‘soon’ or ‘early’
adverb
before now
- in the first place
- in the beginning
- to begin with
- originally
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is earlier in our word lists?
| Word list | Status |
|---|---|
| American English | Found |
| British English | Found |
| Extended English | Found |
These are spelling-list matches, not official game validity checks. Check the rules and dictionary used by your game.
Letter-value score of earlier
E(1) + A(1) + R(1) + L(1) + I(1) + E(1) + R(1) = 7 points.
This is a sum of letter values without board bonuses or word multipliers. A blank tile is worth zero: subtract the value of each letter supplied by a blank. The score does not establish game validity. Full letter-value table.
Anagrams of earlier
0 other standard-list words use exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
No other single-word anagram was found in our standard list.
Shorter words from earlier
52 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in earlier. Showing up to 24, longest first.