Words Containing EAR
100 wordsThe letters EAR form one of English's most productive letter combinations, appearing in words that span from the concrete to the abstract. Whether you're looking for quick scoring options in word games or exploring how this pattern shapes everyday vocabulary, you'll find 690 words here ranging from simple three-letter terms to scientific terminology.
3-letter words
14-letter words
145-letter words
166-letter words
127-letter words
248-letter words
119-letter words
1210-letter words
711-letter words
112-letter words
113-letter words
1Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
Words containing EAR carry surprising strategic weight in word games, with scoring opportunities that differ significantly between platforms.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
The EAR pattern functions in multiple linguistic roles. It forms the core of body-part words (ear, beard) and emotion vocabulary (fear, dear). It also appears in compound constructions like activewear and underwear, where -wear became a productive suffix for clothing categories. The pattern frequently combines with prefixes to create nuanced meanings: overhear, underhear, mishear.
Total Words
690
0.2% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.1 letters
2.7 syllables
Top Scrabble
POLYMORPHONUCLEAR
31 points
Longest Word
POLYMORPHONUCLEAR
17 letters
Parts of Speech
With 55% nouns and 30% adjectives, EAR words lean heavily toward descriptive and naming functions. The average length of 9.1 letters reflects how this pattern often anchors longer compound words and technical terms rather than appearing in isolation.
Middle English dominates this pattern's history, with Old English contributions running deep. The word BEAR traces from Middle English 'bere' through Old English 'bera' to Proto-Germanic '*berô'—a lineage stretching back thousands of years. BEARD follows a similar path through Germanic roots, showing how fundamental these words were to early English speakers.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
the shell (metal casing) in which a train of gears is sealed
large heart-shaped sweet cherry with soft flesh
a soft yellow wax secreted by glands in the ear canal
Long (8+)
easily frightened
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
the shell (metal casing) in which a train of gears is sealed
either of a pair of ear coverings (usually connected by a headband) that are worn to keep the ears warm in cold weather
Long (8+)
easily frightened
GEARBOX exemplifies the scoring gap between platforms: 17 points in Scrabble versus 19 in Words With Friends. For high-value plays, OXHEART and EARWAX both score 16-17 points in Scrabble, making them solid medium-length options. CHICKENHEARTED reaches 29 points in Scrabble and 30 in WWF—a rare case where the eleven-letter compound justifies the tile investment if you can build off existing letters.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
HEART and HEARD make excellent early guesses, each testing H, E, A, R plus a common consonant. CLEAR adds C and L to your coverage while keeping the high-frequency vowels.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Longest
Shortest
EAR itself anchors one end of the spectrum at three letters, while POLYMORPHONUCLEAR stretches to 17. The pattern's flexibility explains this range: ear works as both a standalone word and a building block for compounds.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
attire worn for sport or for casual wear
lacking hair on the face
extreme dullness; lacking spirit or interest
a person from whom you are descended
FOREBEAR deserves attention—it means a person from whom you are descended, essentially an ancestor. The word scores modestly but catches opponents off guard because many assume it's spelled 'forbear' (which means to refrain from something). Knowing the distinction wins challenges.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.