tell: meaning and words from its letters
4 letters · 4 letter points · starts with T · ends with L
Meaning of tell
verb
- transitive
Mental senses related to determining, reckoning, or perceiving To determine the number, amount, or value of [something].
Example: All told, there were over a dozen. Can you tell time on a clock? He had untold wealth.
- intransitive, transitive
Mental senses related to determining, reckoning, or perceiving To notice, discern. (Roughly, "can tell" means "know" but with a sense of direct perception.)
Example: I can tell that you're thrilled.
- intransitive, transitive
Mental senses related to determining, reckoning, or perceiving To notice, discern. (Roughly, "can tell" means "know" but with a sense of direct perception.) To pick up on a difference. (See tell apart for more.)
Example: An expert can tell an original from a forgery.
- ditransitive, transitive
Social senses of communicating To narrate, to recount.
Example: I want to tell a story; I want to tell you a story.
Listed forms: tells, telling, told, telled, tolled.
Source: Wiktionary — tell.
noun
A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
- informal
A giveaway; something that unintentionally reveals or hints at a secret.
- Internet
A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
- archaic
That which is told; a tale or account.
Listed forms: tells.
Source: Wiktionary — tell.
noun
A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.
Listed forms: tells.
Source: Wiktionary — tell.
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 tell.
verb
express in words
verb
narrate or give a detailed account of
verb
give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
verb
inform positively and with certainty and confidence
Open English WordNet Team, 2025, derived from Princeton University WordNet; selected synonym groups under CC BY 4.0. Source · OEWN notice · Princeton notice.
Is tell 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 tell
T(1) + E(1) + L(1) + L(1) = 4 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 tell
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 tell
4 shorter standard-list words can be made using no letter more often than it occurs in tell. Showing up to 24, longest first.