Top Bingo Stems for Scrabble and Words with Friends

Want to rack up massive points in Scrabble or Words With Friends? It’s time to learn one of the most powerful scoring tools: the BINGO.

What Is a Bingo?

A bingo is a move where you use all 7 tiles from your rack in a single play. It comes with a +50 point bonus, on top of the word score itself. That’s enough to swing a game, especially when paired with strong board placement or premium squares.

Why BINGOs Matter

BINGOs aren’t just high-scoring plays, they’re the foundation of expert strategy. Here’s why:

+50 points: A significant bonus that can’t be matched by short plays.
Game-changer: Bingos can turn a losing position into a lead.
Winning edge: Among advanced players, the winners play, on average, twice as many bingos as the losers.
Skill gap: The frequency of bingos is one of the main differences between casual and expert gameplay.

Tips to Master BINGOs Like a Pro

Bingos are the result of a mindful strategy, turn after turn. Here’s how advanced players consistently set themselves up to score big:

Tile Management

Expert players prioritize versatile, bingo-friendly letters like S, R, T, N, and common vowels A, E, I, which appear in the most productive bingo stems. High-point tiles like Q and X can be tempting to keep, but they rarely fit into BINGOs. It’s usually better to play them quickly by forming short Q words (like QI, QA) or short X words (like XI, XU). Learning these quick plays will help you clear your rack and keep your chances of a bingo alive.

Word Knowledge

Top players memorize large sets of valid 7-letter words, often grouped by common “stems” (like TISANE or RETINA). This guide will help you do the same, providing curated lists and printable resources.

Board Management

It’s not just about your rack, it’s also about the board. Skilled players:

Set up potential bingo words on premium squares.
Leave behind hooks or create parallel plays to build on.
Block opponents from accessing bonus squares.

Rack Balancing

A well-balanced rack is key to spotting BINGOs. That means:

Exchanging tiles when you’re stuck with clunky combinations.
Maintaining a healthy mix of vowels and consonants.
Avoiding death combos full of duplicates or unplayable letters.

What Are Bingo Stems?

Bingo stems are 6-letter combinations that can form 7-letter words (BINGOs) when paired with just one more letter. They’re a secret weapon for high-level Scrabble and Words With Friends players, and knowing just a handful of these stems can unlock high-scoring plays. If you're learning how to play Scrabble at an advanced level, mastering these stems is a game-changer.

These stems typically consist of common, low-point tiles (like vowels and frequent consonants), making them easy to draw and easy to build from. Mastering them not only boosts your chances of scoring the +50 point bingo bonus but also improves your overall rack management and play flexibility.

Popular Bingo Stems to Know

Here are some of the most useful and productive bingo stems:

TISANE (AEINST) – Can become DETAINS, STAINED, RETAINS, and more.
SATIRE (AEIRST) – Forms words like RETINAS, SALTIER, REALIST, and more.
RETINA (AEINRT) – Leads to TRAINED, CERTAIN, GRANITE, INERTIA, and so on.
ARSINE (AEINRS) – Turns into MARINES, GAINERS, REMAINS, SARDINE, and more.
SENIOR (EINORS) – Builds IGNORES, HEROINS, JOINERS, and others.
TONIES (EINOST) – Makes SECTION, TENSION, TOXINES, ISOTONE, and more.

Many of these stems overlap because the most common bingo-building letters tend to repeat. You’ll see S, T, R, and N pop up again and again in high-frequency stems. A quick way to remember them? Think “Start To Read Notes”—these four letters are key to forming BINGOs, showing up in nearly every top stem.

Master the Top 3 Bingo Stems: TISANE, SATIRE, RETINA

When it comes to BINGOs, not all letter combos are created equal. Some stems are so rich in word-building potential that memorizing them gives you a serious edge, especially if you're learning how to play Words With Friends or want to level up your Scrabble strategy.

Let's focus on the top three bingo stems: TISANE, SATIRE, and RETINA. Each of these is a goldmine of possible BINGOs, and we’ll give you tables of example words and printable lists to help you memorize them. These stems are also helpful if you like using an anagram solver or want to challenge yourself to recall all the variations from memory.

Bingo Stem #1: TISANE + ?

The bingo stem TISANE (A, E, I, N, S, T) is one of the richest stems in both Scrabble and Words With Friends. By adding just one letter to these six tiles, you can form more than 90 valid 7-letter BINGOs (depending on the dictionary), and they are an incredibly efficient way to rake in 50-point bonuses.

While TISANE doesn’t combine with Q or Y to form BINGOs (like all our top three stems), it covers the rest of the alphabet. It's especially valuable when you can combine it with high-scoring tiles like Z, X, or J, creating plays like ZANIEST, SEXTAIN, or JANTIES.

Use the table below to explore playable words and learn their meanings. It’s a great way to strengthen your bingo-building tactics.

TISANE + ?	Word	Definition	CSW	NWL	WWF
A
	ENTASIA	Muscle contraction (esp spastic)	YES	YES	YES
	TAENIAS	Tapeworms	YES	YES	YES
B
	BANTIES	Small briefs/underwear	YES	YES	YES
	BASINET	Medieval helmet	YES	YES	YES
	BESAINT	To make holy	YES	NO	NO
	BESTAIN	To stain or soil	YES	NO	NO
C
	ACETINS	Glycerol esters (used in perfumes)	YES	YES	YES
	CANIEST	Smartest, most shrewd	YES	NO	NO
	CINEAST	Film lover/expert	YES	YES	YES
C
	DESTAIN	Remove a stain	YES	YES	YES
	DETAINS	Holds back, arrests	YES	YES	YES
	INSTEAD	In place of	YES	YES	YES
	NIDATES	Builds a	nest	YES	YES	NO
	SAINTED	Made into a saint	YES	YES	YES
	SATINED	Made satiny	YES	YES	YES
	STAINED	Colored or marked	YES	YES	YES
	TIENDAS	Spanish shops	NO	NO	YES
E
	ETESIAN	Yearly (esp Mediterranean winds)	YES	YES	YES
F
	FAINEST	Laziest, most reluctant	YES	YES	YES
	FANSITE	Website for fans	YES	NO	NO
	NAIFEST	Most	naive	YES	NO	NO
G
	EASTING	Eastward movement	YES	YES	YES
	EATINGS	Meals	YES	YES	YES
	GAINEST	Most gainful	YES	NO	NO
	GENISTA	Broom plant	YES	YES	YES
	INGATES	Gates to enter	YES	YES	YES
	INGESTA	Swallowed material	YES	YES	YES
	SEATING	Arrangement of seats	YES	YES	YES
	TAGINES	Moroccan stews	YES	YES	YES
	TANGIES	Strong, zesty flavors	YES	NO	NO
	TEASING	Mocking playfully	YES	YES	YES
	TSIGANE	Romani person (variant of "gypsy")	YES	NO	NO
H
	HENTAIS	Japanese erotic comics	YES	NO	NO
	SHEITAN	Devil (Islamic context)	YES	YES	YES
	STHENIA	Bodily strength	YES	YES	YES
I
	ISATINE	Dye compound (used in chemistry)	YES	YES	YES
J
	JANTIES	Jean panties	YES	NO	NO
	TAJINES	Moroccan stews (alt spelling)	YES	YES	YES
K
	INTAKES	Amounts taken in	YES	YES	YES
	KENTIAS	Palm trees	YES	NO	YES
	TANKIES	Pro-tank communists (slang)	YES	NO	NO
L
	EASTLIN	Narrow path	YES	NO	NO
	ELASTIN	Stretchy body protein	YES	YES	YES
	ENTAILS	Involves, includes	YES	YES	YES
	NAILSET	Tool to set	nails	YES	YES	YES
	SALIENT	Noticeable, important	YES	YES	YES
	SALTINE	Plain cracker	YES	YES	YES
	SLAINTE	Irish toast (“health!”)	YES	YES	YES
	STANIEL	Young hawk	YES	NO	NO
	TENAILS	Anchors or fastens	YES	YES	YES
M
	ETAMINS	Light fabrics	YES	YES	YES
	INMATES	Prisoners	YES	YES	YES
	MAINEST	Most main, central	YES	NO	NO
	MANTIES	Male panties (slang)	YES	NO	NO
	TAMEINS	Aprons (Scottish)	YES	YES	YES
	TAMINES	Thin fabric	YES	NO	NO
N
	INANEST	Most foolish	YES	YES	YES
	NANITES	Tiny robots	YES	NO	NO
	STANINE	9-point scale (educ)	YES	YES	YES
	TANNIES	Grannies (slang)	YES	NO	YES
O
	ATONIES	Lacking muscle tone	YES	YES	YES
P
	PANTIES	Underwear	YES	YES	YES
	PATINES	Film or finish on metal	YES	YES	YES
	SAPIENT	Wise	YES	YES	YES
	SPINATE	With spines	YES	YES	YES
R
	ANESTRI	Time between heats (zool)	YES	YES	YES
	ANTSIER	More fidgety	YES	YES	YES
	NASTIER	More unpleasant	YES	YES	YES
	RATINES	Rough fabrics	YES	YES	YES
	RESIANT	Dwelling/residing	YES	NO	NO
	RETAINS	Keeps	YES	YES	YES
	RETINAS	Eye parts	YES	YES	YES
	RETSINA	Greek wine with resin	YES	YES	YES
	STAINER	One who stains	YES	YES	YES
	STARNIE	Variant of "sternie" (old dialect)	YES	NO	NO
	STEARIN	Fatty substance (in candles)	YES	YES	YES
S
	ENTASIS	Bulging column shape	YES	YES	YES
	NASTIES	Unpleasant things	YES	YES	YES
	SEITANS	Wheat-meat (vegan protein)	YES	YES	NO
	SESTINA	6-stanza poem form	YES	YES	YES
	TANSIES	Yellow-flowered plants	YES	YES	YES
	TISANES	Herbal teas	YES	YES	YES
T
	INSTATE	Put into office	YES	YES	YES
	SATINET	Thin fabric	YES	YES	YES
	TANTIES	Tantalizing things	YES	NO	NO
U
	AUNTIES	Your mom’s sister	YES	YES	YES
	SINUATE	Wavy-edged	YES	YES	YES
V
	NAIVEST	Most	naive	YES	YES	YES
	NATIVES	Locals	YES	YES	YES
	VAINEST	Most vain	YES	YES	YES
W
	AWNIEST	Bristliest (awns = plant hairs)	YES	NO	NO
	TAWNIES	Brownish-gold tones	YES	YES	YES
	WANIEST	Most wan or pale	YES	YES	YES
	WANTIES	Yearnings, cravings	YES	NO	NO
X
	ANTISEX	Against sexual content	YES	YES	YES
	SEXTAIN	Erotic poem stanza (fictional-sounding, used in Scrabble)	YES	YES	YES
Z
	ZANIEST	Most clownish	YES	YES	YES
	ZEATINS	Plant growth hormones	YES	NO	YES

📄 Printable TISANE+? CSW List – Contains all valid TISANE+? BINGOs from the international Scrabble dictionary (CSW). Ideal for competitive players outside North America.
📄 Printable TISANE+? NWL List – Includes all TISANE+? BINGOs valid in North American Scrabble dictionary (NWL). Perfect for players focused on the US tournament or casual play.
📄 Printable TISANE+? WWF List – Covers all TISANE+? BINGOs playable in Words With Friends. Great for mobile players aiming to rack up wins on the app.

Bingo Stem #2: SATIRE + ?

The SATIRE stem offers an extensive list of playable BINGOs (almost 100 words), thanks to its versatility and balanced letter set. While it doesn't pair well with high-value tiles like J, Q, X, Y, or Z, it makes up for it in sheer quantity and bingo potential, especially for Collins (CSW) players. Many of the SATIRE+? words are obscure or regional, valid only in International Scrabble, which makes this set a great study aid for players preparing for global competition.

SATIRE + ?	Word	Definition	CSW	NWL	WWF
A
	ARISTAE	Bristles (esp on insects)	YES	YES	YES
	ATRESIA	Blocked body opening	YES	YES	YES
	ASTERIA	Star-shaped gemstone flash	YES	YES	NO
B
	BAITERS	Teasers or tormentors	YES	YES	YES
	BARITES	Heavy mineral (barium sulfate)	YES	YES	YES
	REBAITS	Baits again	YES	YES	YES
	TERBIAS	Terbium oxides (chemical)	YES	YES	YES
C
	CRISTAE	Mitochondrial folds	YES	YES	YES
	RACIEST	Most suggestive or exciting	YES	YES	YES
	STEARIC	Fatty acid (from animal fat)	YES	YES	YES
	ATRESIC	Having atresia (medical)	YES	YES	NO
D
	ARIDEST	Driest	YES	YES	YES
	ASTRIDE	With a leg on each side	YES	YES	YES
	STAIDER	More serious or dull	YES	YES	YES
	TARDIES	Late people	YES	YES	YES
	TIRADES	Angry speeches	YES	YES	YES
	ASTERID	Flowering plant type	YES	NO	NO
	STAIRED	Walked using stairs	YES	NO	NO
	TRADIES	Tradespeople (slang)	YES	NO	NO
E
	AERIEST	Most lofty or delicate	YES	YES	YES
	SERIATE	Arrange in order	YES	YES	YES
F
	FAIREST	Most beautiful or just	YES	YES	YES
G
	AGISTER	Takes in grazing animals	YES	NO	YES
	AIGRETS	Feather decorations	YES	YES	YES
	GAITERS	Leg coverings	YES	YES	YES
	SEAGIRT	Surrounded by sea	YES	YES	YES
	STAGIER	More awkward or theatrical (like a stage act)	YES	YES	YES
	TRIAGES	Sorts by urgency	YES	YES	YES
	STRIGAE	Witch-like beings	YES	NO	NO
	TIRAGES	Print runs (French origin)	YES	NO	NO
H
	HASTIER	Most rushed	YES	YES	YES
	SHERIAT	Islamic law (variant of Shariat)	YES	NO	NO
I
	AIRIEST	Lightest or most spacious	YES	YES	YES
	IRISATE	Shimmer like a rainbow	YES	NO	NO
K
	ARKITES	Followers of the Ark (biblical or sect-based, rare usage)	YES	NO	NO
	KARITES	Followers of Karaism (Jewish sect rejecting the Talmud)	YES	NO	NO
L
	REALIST	Practical thinker	YES	YES	YES
	RETAILS	Sells in small amounts	YES	YES	YES
	SALTIER	More salty	YES	YES	YES
	SALTIRE	Diagonal cross (X shape)	YES	YES	YES
	SLATIER	More slatted	YES	YES	YES
	TAILERS	Those who follow or trail	YES	YES	YES
M
	IMARETS	Turkish inns	YES	YES	YES
	MAESTRI	Masters (esp conductors)	YES	YES	YES
	MISRATE	Rank incorrectly	YES	YES	YES
	SMARTIE	Clever person (or candy!)	YES	YES	YES
	MAISTER	Chief or master (dialect)	YES	NO	NO
	MASTIER	More masted (nautical)	YES	NO	NO
	SEMITAR	Sword (variant of scimitar)	YES	NO	NO
N
	ANESTRI	Time between heats (zool)	YES	YES	YES
	ANTSIER	More fidgety	YES	YES	YES
	NASTIER	More unpleasant	YES	YES	YES
	RATINES	Rough fabrics	YES	YES	YES
	RETAINS	Keeps	YES	YES	YES
	RETINAS	Eye parts	YES	YES	YES
	RETSINA	Greek wine with resin	YES	YES	YES
	STAINER	One who stains	YES	YES	YES
	STEARIN	Fatty substance (in candles)	YES	YES	YES
	RESIANT	Dwelling/residing	YES	NO	NO
	STARNIE	Variant of "sternie" (old dialect)	YES	NO	NO
O
	OSTERIA	Italian eatery	NO	NO	YES
	OARIEST	Most oar-like or rowable	YES	NO	NO
	OTARIES	Eared seals	YES	NO	NO
	ROASTIE	Roast potato (UK slang)	YES	NO	NO
P
	PARTIES	Social gatherings	YES	YES	YES
	PASTIER	More pastry-like	YES	YES	YES
	PIASTER	Old currency unit	YES	YES	YES
	PIASTRE	Variant of piaster	YES	YES	YES
	PIRATES	Sea raiders	YES	YES	YES
	PRATIES	Potatoes (Irish dialect)	YES	YES	YES
	TRAIPSE	Walk aimlessly	YES	YES	YES
	PAIREST	Matches as a pair	YES	NO	NO
	RAPIEST	More aggressive	YES	NO	NO
R
	ARTSIER	More artsy	YES	YES	YES
	TARRIES	Delays	YES	YES	YES
	TARSIER	Big-eyed primate	YES	YES	YES
	SERRATI	Saw-toothed (plural, bio)	YES	NO	NO
S
	ARSIEST	Most artsy	YES	NO	YES
	DIASTER	Star-shaped chromosome stage in cell division	YES	YES	YES
	DISRATE	Reduce rank (military)	YES	YES	YES
	SATIRES	Witty works mocking flaws or society	YES	YES	YES
	ARTSIES	Artistic types	YES	YES	NO
	SAIREST	Most sorrowful	YES	NO	NO
	TIRASSE	Veil in fencing (rare)	YES	NO	NO
T
	ARTIEST	Most artistic	YES	YES	YES
	ARTISTE	Performing artist	YES	YES	YES
	ATTIRES	Outfits	YES	YES	YES
	IRATEST	Angriest	YES	YES	YES
	RATITES	Flightless birds	YES	YES	YES
	STRIATE	Mark with stripes	YES	YES	YES
	TASTIER	More delicious	YES	YES	YES
	TERTIAS	Church service times	YES	NO	NO
V
	VASTIER	More immense	YES	YES	YES
	VERITAS	Truth (Latin)	YES	YES	YES
	RAVIEST	Most ecstatic	YES	YES	NO
	TAIVERS	Wanderers (Scots)	YES	NO	NO
W
	WAISTER	Ship’s lower-deck crew	YES	YES	YES
	WAITERS	Restaurant servers	YES	YES	YES
	WARIEST	Most cautious	YES	YES	YES
	WASTRIE	Wasteful person (Scots)	YES	YES	YES

📄 Printable SATIRE+? CSW List – Contains all valid SATIRE+? BINGOs from the international Scrabble dictionary (CSW). Ideal for competitive players outside North America.
📄 Printable SATIRE+? NWL List – Includes all SATIRE+? BINGOs valid in the North American Scrabble dictionary (NWL). Perfect for players focused on US tournament or casual play.
📄 Printable SATIRE+? WWF List – Covers all SATIRE+? BINGOs playable in Words With Friends. Great for mobile players aiming to rack up wins on the app.

Bingo Stem #3: RETINA + ?

RETINA is another solid stem for bingo-building, producing over 70 valid words when combined with one additional letter. However, most of these words are playable only in Collins Scrabble (CSW), making this stem more valuable for international play. You won’t find high-scoring letter combos here (RETINA doesn’t form words with A, Q, V, X, Y, or Z). The only two BINGOs with a J—JANTIER and NARTJIE—are exclusive to Collins, so they won’t help in NASPA or Words With Friends.

RETINA + ?	Word	Definition	CSW	NWL	WWF
B
	ATEBRIN	Old malaria drug (uinacrine)	YES	NO	NO
C
	CERATIN	Horny skin protein	YES	YES	YES
	CERTAIN	Sure or definite	YES	YES	YES
	CREATIN	Body chemical from muscles	YES	YES	YES
	TACRINE	Alzheimer’s drug	YES	YES	NO
	CANTIER	Livelier, more spirited	YES	NO	NO
	CRINATE	Hair-like or hairy	YES	NO	NO
	NACRITE	Clay mineral	YES	NO	NO
D
	ANTIRED	Opposed to red (political or literal)	YES	YES	YES
	DETRAIN	Get off a train	YES	YES	YES
	TRAINED	Taught or skilled through practice	YES	YES	NO
E
	ARENITE	Sandstone	YES	YES	YES
	RETINAE	Plural of retina; light-sensitive eye layers	YES	YES	YES
	TRAINEE	One in training	YES	YES	NO
F
	FAINTER	More faint or weak	YES	YES	YES
	FENITAR	Uncommon; possible typo or obscure	YES	NO	NO
G
	GRANITE	Hard igneous rock	YES	YES	YES
	GRATINE	To top with browned crust (culinary)	YES	YES	YES
	INGRATE	Ungrateful person	YES	YES	YES
	TANGIER	More tangled or city in Morocco	YES	YES	NO
	TEARING	Ripping or moving fast	YES	YES	NO
H
	HAIRNET	Mesh for holding hair	YES	YES	YES
	INEARTH	Bury	YES	YES	YES
	THERIAN	Mammal (includes marsupials & placentals)	YES	YES	NO
I
	INERTIA	Resistance to change or motion	YES	YES	YES
J
	JANTIER	Sprightlier or livelier	YES	NO	NO
	NARTJIE	South African citrus fruit	YES	NO	NO
K
	KERATIN	Tough protein in hair/nails	YES	YES	YES
L
	LATRINE	Toilet	YES	YES	YES
	RATLINE	Rope ladder rung on a ship	YES	YES	YES
	RELIANT	Dependent	YES	YES	YES
	RETINAL	Light-reactive eye compound	YES	YES	YES
	TRENAIL	Wooden peg used in shipbuilding or carpentry	YES	YES	NO
	ENTRAIL	Inner organs	YES	NO	NO
M
	MERANTI	Tropical hardwood	YES	NO	YES
	MINARET	Mosue tower	YES	YES	YES
	RAIMENT	Clothing	YES	YES	YES
N
	ENTRAIN	Board a train	YES	YES	YES
	TRANNIE	Offensive slang (note: dated/derogatory)	YES	YES	NO
O
	NOTAIRE	Notary (French spelling)	YES	NO	NO
	OTARINE	Related to eared seals	YES	NO	NO
P
	PAINTER	One who paints	YES	YES	YES
	PERTAIN	Relate to	YES	YES	YES
	REPAINT	Paint again	YES	YES	YES
	INAPTER	Less suited or fit	YES	NO	NO
R
	RETRAIN	Train again	YES	YES	YES
	TERRAIN	Ground or land surface	YES	YES	NO
	TRAINER	Coach or instructor	YES	YES	NO
S
	ANESTRI	Time between heats (zool)	YES	YES	YES
	ANTSIER	More fidgety	YES	YES	YES
	NASTIER	More unpleasant	YES	YES	YES
	RATINES	Rough fabrics	YES	YES	YES
	RETAINS	Keeps	YES	YES	YES
	RETINAS	Eye parts	YES	YES	YES
	RETSINA	Greek wine with resin	YES	YES	YES
	STAINER	One who stains	YES	YES	YES
	STEARIN	Fatty substance (in candles)	YES	YES	NO
	RESIANT	Dwelling/residing	YES	NO	NO
	STARNIE	Variant of "sternie" (old dialect)	YES	NO	NO
T
	INTREAT	Plead or beg	YES	YES	YES
	ITERANT	Repeating or recurring	YES	YES	YES
	NATTIER	Neater or sharper in style	YES	YES	YES
	NITRATE	Nitrogen compound	YES	YES	YES
	TERTIAN	Recurring every third day	YES	YES	NO
	TARTINE	Open-faced sandwich (French)	YES	NO	NO
U
	RUINATE	To ruin	YES	YES	YES
	TAURINE	Amino acid (found in energy drinks)	YES	YES	NO
	URANITE	Uranium mineral	YES	YES	NO
	URINATE	To pee	YES	YES	NO
W
	TAWNIER	More tawny or brownish	YES	YES	NO
	TINWARE	Utensils made of tin	YES	YES	NO

📄 Printable RETINA+? CSW List – Contains all valid RETINA+? BINGOs from the international Scrabble dictionary (CSW). Ideal for competitive players outside North America.
📄 Printable RETINA+? NWL List – Includes all RETINA+? BINGOs valid in the North American Scrabble dictionary (NWL). Perfect for players focused on US tournament or casual play.
📄 Printable RETINA+? WWF List – Covers all RETINA+? BINGOs playable in Words With Friends. Great for mobile players aiming to rack up wins on the app.

Ready to Keep Leveling Up?

TISANE, SATIRE, and RETINA are great bingo stems to have in your toolkit, but there’s plenty more to explore. If you’re looking to boost your game even further, check out some of our favorite resources:

Handy 2-letter word lists and tips & tools to memorize them
Short Q-words and X-words for those high-score surprises
Vowel dumps and death combos to deal with tough racks

Keep browsing, keep learning, and get ready to turn those 7 tiles into your next 50-point bingo!

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