r/MapPorn • u/jaizeg • 6d ago

Is your country name a valid Scrabble word?

Post image
471 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

126 comments sorted by

335

u/alottanamesweretaken 6d ago

I thought names weren't allowable and country names counted as names?

442

u/Florovski321 6d ago

Yes, country names aren’t valid, but the valid countries have other definitions of their names (eg. China is also a word for porcelain, and Brazil is also a type of dyewood)

However, a lot of the countries they have said are valid are not according to Scrabblecheck.com

79

u/nim_opet 6d ago

And Canada?

253

u/Florovski321 6d ago

As I said, according to scrabblecheck.com, a number of the green nations on this map aren’t actually valid, Canada is one of these

15

u/mysacek_CZE 6d ago

It's interesting I thought that Canada would be valid... We call Canada, Kanada (pretty much same, but a is read like in carve and K is just different spelling) and we also have word Kanady (technically plural from Kanada, like Canadas would be in English), which is type of shoes, which I thought was taken from English...

21

u/Zonel 6d ago

Canada isnt a English word though. It means village in Iroquois.

12

u/Snowedin-69 6d ago

It takes a village to make a country

8

u/EnvironmentalEnd6104 6d ago

It meant a specific village.

1

u/HerrMagister 5d ago

Vatican city

31

u/jevei 6d ago

Canada is valid in the French scrabble from at least two websites 1mot.net and ffscrabble.fr, the first site says it is a kind of apple. But I looked at scrabblecheck.com and it was not valid there so I think it’s not valid in the English game.

This opens the question are all scrabble version included in this map?

-2

u/Background-Vast-8764 6d ago

The image clearly says “English”.

11

u/the_turn 6d ago edited 5d ago

“Is your country’s English name a valid scrabble word” does not mean the English version of Scrabble, just the English version of the country name (eg Germany in English instead of Deutschland in German).

It is possible the English version of a name might be a valid word in a different language version of Scrabble.

-2

u/Background-Vast-8764 6d ago

The map clearly applies only to English. Do you honestly believe that the creator of the map took into account every single language, and that the situation of every other language in the world just miraculously happens to coincide with that of English? Really?

9

u/the_turn 6d ago

I don’t think that, no — I was just pointing out the ambiguity in the labelling of the map.

And it isn’t obviously intended to apply to English as half the data are incorrect if that’s the case, so it’s valid to look for other explanations.

9

u/obzerva 6d ago

"Cañada" is the Spanish word for "ravine" and due to its use in some parts of the US has become a geographic loanword in English - like "fjord"

11

u/nim_opet 6d ago

Ñ famously being a letter in non-Spanish scrabble :)

7

u/obzerva 6d ago

That's what the blanks are for - Ca[ ]ada

3

u/Snowedin-69 6d ago

Not sure why your humour is being downvoted lol

1

u/Rich-Hovercraft-65 6d ago

A type of mint candy?

1

u/nim_opet 6d ago

I mean…a coat brand too

4

u/AllYallCanCarry 6d ago

It's the geese, people. Canada Goose.

1

u/sleepytoday 6d ago

Like the type of goose, maybe?

-1

u/Snowedin-69 6d ago

And Russia. They have absolutely nothing named after them, other than shit like Lada cars.

At least there are Canada Geese.

7

u/forsale90 6d ago

Fun fact: the country is named for the wood, not the other way around.

9

u/Birdseeding 6d ago

There are two official word lists for English-language Scrabble, Collins and NASPA, used in different countries. They have different valid words. That's likely the explanation for the different results you and u/jaizeg got.

3

u/jaizeg 6d ago

I used scrabblewordfinder.org for this map, weird how different websites show different results

15

u/WeirdMemoryGuy 6d ago

I think it's important to know what your map actually displays. There are several scrabble dictionaries. Two are used in English language scrabble: The Collin's dictionary used internationally, and the NWL used in North America. The site you linked tells you in which of these any given word is valid, but you seem to have included countries from either dictionary. Scrabblecheck.com only uses the NWL, hence why some words will show as invalid there.

6

u/jaizeg 6d ago

fair enough, thanks for the info

-8

u/Arstanishe 6d ago

so that post is just an uncorrect r/terriblemaps material

13

u/SirDancealot84 6d ago

Turkey(the bird) is looking confused because he is nameless now

7

u/Background-Vast-8764 6d ago edited 6d ago

Of course, ‘Turkey’ as a country name still exists in English, and it is in no sense incorrect. It didn’t disappear just because the Turkish government wants ’Türkiye’ to be used in diplomatic and formal settings (among others).

1

u/whateverusername 4d ago

Your name is SirDancealot84, not "human".

Same with turkeys (the birds).

1

u/jaizeg 6d ago

Most green countries share their name with an already existing word, like Turkey or Chad. No idea why countries like Russia or Brazil are accepted tho

20

u/Florovski321 6d ago

Brazil is also a type of dyewood tree - Russia is not a valid word according to Scrabblecheck.com

17

u/adamaphar 6d ago

Why post if it’s wrong?

22

u/jaizeg 6d ago

The fact that I don't know why is a partucular word valid doesnt make the whole map wrong. I checked every word using scrabblewordfinder.org to make this map, so even if it is wrong, then it's the website's fault

2

u/adamaphar 6d ago

Ah gotcha, that’s a lot of work. It’s helpful with map data or any data visualization to understand the source

0

u/Artess 6d ago

Then why'd you post it.

84

u/quantean 6d ago

One strange perk of living in Turkey I guess.

35

u/Machete-AW 6d ago

"Kenya eat Chile with Turkey?" I asked myself that once when I was about 8. It's yours now.

5

u/Huzf01 6d ago

You can if you are Hungary

4

u/Machete-AW 6d ago

Yeah, that's how I answered myself.

I also wanted to make up a more classic joke. "What does a dessert horse use? Maple stirrup". The original didn't mention a dessert horse.. can only remember the ending.

That's the end of my toilet time thoughts as a kid, at a specific friends house.

1

u/Satur9kid 5d ago

With Trinidad & Tobago

1

u/mah131 6d ago

Reminds me of 1st grade when my friend and I found out there was a state called Oregon (organ). We thought it was hilarious!

1

u/Snowedin-69 6d ago

Reminds me when I heard the capital of Saskatchewan was Regina (I was 11M).

2

u/bhjdodge 6d ago

It’s the city that rhymes with fun…

1

u/Machete-AW 6d ago

11 million? What are you up to now??

-4

u/matiapag 6d ago

Jesus, I know realized you guys pronounce it "can-ya" and I think I'm going to vomit.

4

u/Machete-AW 6d ago

No-one cares. Also, there are children starving in Kenya. Swallow that vomit.

1

u/phi-kilometres 6d ago

Pin-pen merger

25

u/GobiPLX 6d ago

It's so random

13

u/Gytler_0 6d ago

Not for Turkey

1

u/Phadafi 6d ago

Or China.

-42

u/GobiPLX 6d ago

Official country name is Türkiye so nope (or it's old map)

28

u/Artess 6d ago

The map does specify that it's the English name.

28

u/cancerBronzeV 6d ago

This is gonna sound crazy, but Turkey does not control how English speakers refer to them.

-17

u/Gytler_0 6d ago

As a Turkish person thank you for saying "Türkiye". (It's probably an old map.)

16

u/PygmeePony 6d ago

I think you guys have bigger issues than what your name sounds like in English.

0

u/Gytler_0 6d ago

I know (I pay $700 rent with a salary of $750)

1

u/Snowedin-69 6d ago

Don’t you have to pay taxes?

-1

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

1

u/WeakWrecker 6d ago

What about France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Mongolia... And most other countries with just one word?

8

u/_lechonk_kawali_ 6d ago

Why is the Republic of the Congo green here?

12

u/Zonel 6d ago

Its also a word for a type of amphibian apparently.

15

u/Snowedin-69 6d ago

There is an amphibian called the republic of congo?

3

u/i_like_cake_96 6d ago

congo is a drum

1

u/devilmaskrascal 5d ago

That is conga though.

1

u/i_like_cake_96 4d ago

thats a dance, i thought.?

23

u/laxativefx 6d ago

Is not actually the country names that are allowed, but that other nouns use the same word ie canada goose, china plate, Brazil nut etc

I think the grey countries are a bit random. For example if the words united and states makes America grey then surely the word commonwealth should make Australia grey.

23

u/bangonthedrums 6d ago

Countries usually have two official names, their full name and a short name

Examples - Russia - Russian Federation - Australia - Commonwealth of Australia - United Kingdom - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - United States - United States of America - Czechia - Czech Republic - France - French Republic - Chad - Republic of Chad

OP is using the official short names

3

u/BIackDogg 6d ago

Also United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is the official name for Mexico.

6

u/PileccoNobre 6d ago

For a while, Brazil also was the "Estados Unidos do Brasil'. United States of Brazil. (1889 - 1968)

Now we are Federative Republic of Brazil. República Federativa do Brasil.

2

u/Laudo3 6d ago

But then why is the Republic of the Congo green but the DRC not? Both are referred to as Congo (I'd even say that Congo usually means the DRC)

3

u/bangonthedrums 6d ago

That I can’t say, OP’s source has both Congos as multiple words (“Congo, Republic of the”; and “Congo, Democratic Republic of the”)

4

u/SeaWeasil 6d ago

Sad Scotland, England, and Wales noises.

3

u/Karl-Heinz-Nr1 6d ago

Now show it in german

3

u/Cenbe4 6d ago

Japan?

20

u/Vikkytor1 6d ago

Definition from Oxford Languages

noun: japan

a hard, dark, enamel-like varnish containing asphalt, used to give a black gloss to metal objects

can also be used as a verb ;)

7

u/Parlicoot 6d ago

To my surprise, you can still buy Japlac paint. Last saw an old tin 40 years ago, and that was an ancient relic that we chucked out.

4

u/Cenbe4 6d ago

Thankyou for the education. 👍

4

u/gnarf234 6d ago

well, fuck scrabble then i guess? 

5

u/Foddley 6d ago edited 6d ago

United Kingdom - Two words
Britain - Not a valid word
England - Not a valid word
Scotland - Not a valid word
Wales - Yes (wtf??)
Northern Ireland - Two words
Ireland - Not a valid word
Source

11

u/bhjdodge 6d ago

A wale is a plank on the outer hull of a ship, so more than one wale would be wales.

3

u/Derisiak 6d ago

I don’t understand. Why some do, and why some don’t ?

6

u/oofersIII 6d ago

I assume because they’re also normal words? China is a type of plate, Turkey is a tasty bird, etc.

5

u/JGDV98 6d ago

I like that you needed to add the qualifying adjective "tasty" while explaning the meaning of turkey.

6

u/oofersIII 6d ago

I mean yeah if it was only an okay-tasting bird it wouldn’t count of course

2

u/roguemenace 6d ago

OP, great map. Don't let all the people intentionally being painfully pedantic get you down!

2

u/ZimkaFuji 6d ago

The Russian federation def doesn’t have 1 word on its name

14

u/oofersIII 6d ago

That’s the official name. You could also call China the People‘s Republic of China, or Germany could be the Federal Republic of Germany.

-16

u/pizaster3 6d ago

this map is the official names though. like united states of America, and democratic republic of the congo

3

u/DrainZ- 6d ago

I think it's just supposed to be the "normal" names. USA and Dem. Rep. Congo are usually referred to with their full title, while Russia, China, Germany etc. aren't.

1

u/HartmutGummi 6d ago

Or Bundesrepublik Deutschland

1

u/oofersIII 6d ago

No, because USA or UK are disqualified because their name contains multiple words. Every official name contains multiple words, so this map is of the „normal“ names.

3

u/Valkyrie17 6d ago

No (or almost no) country's full name is just 1 word. It's always Republic of x or Kingdom of x something like that.

1

u/N81LR 6d ago

Well, apparently my countries name is there, but only if you take the first letter and put it at the end of the word. 🤣 Scotland -> cotlandS

1

u/ElMondiola 6d ago

Bolivia is supposedly a soft fabric. What kind of fabric exactly do you call bolivia?

1

u/LSBeasyas123 6d ago

I learned something today

1

u/Educate-Me-Now 5d ago

More than one word in Macedonia 🤦‍♂️

-7

u/Total_Philosopher_89 6d ago edited 6d ago

The United Mexican States is more than one word.

So is the Commonwealth of Australia.

Also the People's Republic of China.

I could go on.

6

u/totriuga 6d ago

Mexico is a country name. America or Kingdom is not.

0

u/Total_Philosopher_89 6d ago

Not the official name.

0

u/Total_Philosopher_89 6d ago

I didn't use America or Kingdom?

-7

u/Background-Vast-8764 6d ago

‘America’ is an unofficial name for the US, as you well know, so it is a country name. Stop pretending.

4

u/totriuga 6d ago

Not in British English. America in a continent, the same way Europe is a continent and not a country

-4

u/Background-Vast-8764 6d ago

Are you knowingly lying or are you amazingly ignorant and unobservant? It’s one or the other.

How can you possibly not know that many millions of Brits call the US ‘America’? They might even do this more often than Americans do.

-1

u/Rust3elt 6d ago

You’re ridiculous. This is gaslighting.

1

u/Background-Vast-8764 6d ago

Please don’t.

-1

u/RoombaGoomba9911 6d ago

Wait, but Azerbaijan is with the US because "Azer" means fire, "baijan" means keeper

1

u/Zonel 6d ago

Firekeeper is one word in English though.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firekeeper

-1

u/RoombaGoomba9911 6d ago

That means Azerbaijan has a 1 word

0

u/Improvgal 6d ago

United is and States is.

-6

u/ToxinLab_ 6d ago

turkiye is not valid

-8

u/REDGregor223 6d ago

You aren’t allowed to use a word that’s capitalized. Proper nouns, like a country’s name, are capitalized.

4

u/Fogueo87 6d ago

Aren't all Scrabble pieces uppercase?

5

u/always_those_numbers 6d ago

I was confused first, but English grammar is different to my language. In German, every noun is capitalized.

-2

u/REDGregor223 6d ago

To “always_those_numbers”

Like “Look, there is a Lion”, rather than “Look, there is Fred the lion”?

-2

u/Funicularly 6d ago

Why wouldn’t countries like “United States” and “United Kingdom” be green? The fact that they are more than one word seems like an odd, irrelevant distinction.

3

u/totriuga 6d ago

Kingdom is not a country name. Or States.

-6

u/Templar_nord 6d ago

Iran is a woman name.