early: meaning and words from its letters
5 letters · 8 letter points · starts with E · ends with Y
Meaning of early
adj
At a time in advance of the usual or expected event.
Example: at eleven, we went for an early lunch; she began reading at an early age; his mother suffered an early death
Arriving a time before expected; sooner than on time.
Example: You're early today! I don't usually see you before nine o'clock.
After but close to the start of a period of time.
Example: The play "Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of Shakespeare's early works.
In the starting hours of the day.
Example: It's too early for this sort of thing. I'm not awake yet.
Listed forms: earlier, earliest.
Source: Wiktionary — early.
noun
- informal
A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place early in the day.
Listed forms: earlies.
Source: Wiktionary — early.
adv
At a time before expected; sooner than usual.
Example: We finished the project an hour sooner than scheduled, so we left early.
Soon; in good time; seasonably.
Listed forms: earlier, earliest.
Source: Wiktionary — early.
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 early.
adjective
belonging to the distant past
adverb
during an early stage
- early on
adverb
before the usual time or the time expected
- ahead of time
- too soon
adverb
in good time
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is early 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 early
E(1) + A(1) + R(1) + L(1) + Y(4) = 8 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 early
2 other standard-list words use exactly these letters, including repeated letters.
Shorter words from early
37 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in early. Showing up to 24, longest first.