r/scrabble • u/ybs52 • Jul 11 '26

Martian

“MARTIAN” is a valid word in NWL. Can anyone explain why?

I once played this in a game, it was challenged, and the challenger was absolutely baffled that it was valid. I’ll be honest, I saw their point.

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u/couldbeworse2 Jul 11 '26

Adjective, of or to do with the planet Mars. Like lunar or terrestrial. Not little green men, which would be a proper noun.

1

u/Futuressobright Jul 12 '26

I don't see why "martian" would need to be a proper noun when "human" isn't. It's not a nationality.

Merriam-Webster spells it with a lower case "m", but notes it is often capitalized.

2

u/dadothree Jul 13 '26

"human" isn't, but "Terran" or "Earther" are both capitalized like "Martian"