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mainstay

/ˈmeɪn.steɪ/noun

Mainstay can refer to a central cohesive source of support and stability, the forestay that braces the mainmast, or a prominent supporter.

3 meanings8 lettersScrabble 13

Length

8

Scrabble

13

WWF

14

Starts

MA

Ends

TAY

Difficulty

Hard

Dictionary

What Does “MAINSTAY” Mean?

/ˈmeɪn.steɪ/

mainstay has 3 documented senses across noun.

Noun

3 senses
1

a prominent supporter

he is a pillar of the community

Synonyms

2

a central cohesive source of support and stability

faith is his anchor

the keystone of campaign reform was the ban on soft money

he is the linchpin of this firm

3

the forestay that braces the mainmast

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

8

Vowels

3

Consonants

5

Word Intelligence

Explore the word mainstay with its definition, score, letter pattern, and useful word game details.

Definition

a prominent supporter

Length

8 letters

Starts With

M

Ends With

Y

Vowels

3

Consonants

5

Letters

M, A, I, N, S, T, A, Y

Use Case

Useful for Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords, anagrams, and other word games.

Letter Breakdown

m
a
i
n
s
t
a
y

Word Facts

Key letter, score, and pattern facts for mainstay.

MAINSTAY is a 8-letter word.
It has a Scrabble score of 13.
It starts with M and ends with Y.
It contains 3 vowels and 5 consonants.
Its vowel share is about 38%.
It has 1 repeated letter.
It is not a palindrome.
Letter pattern: ABCDEFBG.
Vowel/consonant pattern: CVVCCCVC.

Word Strategy

Strategy notes for using mainstay in Scrabble, Wordle-style games, crosswords, and anagram solving.

Scrabble Strategy

★★★★☆

MAINSTAY has a Scrabble score of 13. It is useful for balancing a rack and building steady board position.

Wordle Strategy

★★☆☆☆

MAINSTAY is not five letters, so it is not a standard Wordle answer, but its letter pattern can still help with word analysis.

Crossword Strategy

★★★☆☆

MAINSTAY can be useful in crossword solving because it has a clear starting letter, ending letter, and 8-letter structure.

Anagram Strategy

★★★☆☆

MAINSTAY contains repeated letters, which can make anagram solving more constrained but also easier to pattern-match.

Letter Intelligence

A deeper look at the letter structure, patterns, and useful game signals inside mainstay.

Unique Letters

7

Repeated Letters

1

Highest Value Letter

Y

Letter Pattern

ABCDEFBG

CV Pattern

CVVCCCVC

Vowel Share

38%

Consonant Share

62%

Bigrams

MA, AI, IN, NS, ST, TA, AY

Trigrams

MAI, AIN, INS, NST, STA, TAY

Crossword Intelligence

Crossword-style clues, crossing help, and pattern notes for mainstay.

MAINSTAY is a 8-letter longer themed answer.
It starts with M and ends with Y, which helps narrow crossword crossings.
It contains 3 vowels and 5 consonants.
Its vowel/consonant pattern is CVVCCCVC.
Crossword difficulty estimate: Hard.

Related Words

Word Usage Insights

Practical observations about how this word performs in different word games and puzzle situations.

This word contains 8 letters and is suitable for medium-length word games.
Its consonant/vowel pattern is CVVCCCVC, making it relatively challenging to recognize.
With a Scrabble score of 13, it offers strong scoring potential.
The word begins with M and ends with Y, making it useful for solving pattern-based puzzles.
Some letters repeat, which can be useful when identifying anagrams.

Word Intelligence Links

Explore word lists connected to MAINSTAY by length, score, vowels, consonants, starting letters, ending letters, and word game tools.

Word Family

Explore words that share a similar beginning or root pattern with mainstay.

Related Word Tools

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