Words Containing EL
100 wordsThe EL combination appears throughout English, from the humble two-letter EL to technical monstrosities like ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC. This pattern threads through everyday vocabulary and specialized terminology alike, making it essential territory for word game players and language enthusiasts.
2-letter words
14-letter words
155-letter words
176-letter words
177-letter words
188-letter words
119-letter words
910-letter words
511-letter words
312-letter words
313-letter words
1Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
EL words reward players who understand their dual nature—common enough to appear frequently, yet capable of impressive scores when paired with the right letters.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
The EL pattern often signals Latin and Greek roots related to light, speech, and movement. TELE- brings us words of distance, while -EL endings frequently mark diminutives or agents. Many EL words carry the suffix -IBLE or -ABLE, creating adjectives from verbs. This versatility explains why EL appears so consistently across technical, scientific, and everyday vocabulary.
Total Words
5,854
2.0% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.5 letters
3.3 syllables
Top Scrabble
OVERINTELLECTUALIZED
35 points
Longest Word
ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC
20 letters
Parts of Speech
With 62% nouns dominating this pattern, EL words lean heavily toward naming things rather than describing actions. The 3.3 average syllables per word suggests these terms cluster in the middle complexity range—sophisticated enough for specialized use, accessible enough for general vocabulary.
Middle English dominates this pattern, reflecting how EL words evolved through centuries of English development rather than arriving as recent imports. Latin and French contributions trace back to the Norman Conquest and the Church's influence on learned vocabulary. The etymology chain of MELANCHOLY—traveling from Ancient Greek through Old French to Middle English—illustrates how abstract emotional concepts migrated across cultures while keeping their distinctive EL sound.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Long (8+)
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
a shameless impudent scheming woman
adorn or decorate with precious stones
make into jelly
Long (8+)
a graphical record of electrical activity of the brain; produced by an electroencephalograph
JEZEBEL demonstrates the scoring gap between games beautifully—25 points in Scrabble versus 29 in Words With Friends, thanks to WWF's boosted J value. JELL shows an even more dramatic difference, jumping from 11 to 15 points. For shorter plays, KELP offers reliable WWF value at 12 points. The monster word OVERINTELLECTUALIZED tops both games, but WWF players gain a 7-point bonus for the same letters.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
STEEL makes an excellent EL-pattern starter, testing two common vowels plus high-frequency consonants S, T, and L. DELTA offers similar coverage while probing the common D position.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
The shortest EL words serve as building blocks—EL, BEL, DEL function grammatically while technical fields stretch toward 20-letter compounds. Scientific terminology loves chaining Greek and Latin roots, which is why ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC exists alongside simple EEL.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
a poplar that is widely cultivated in the United States; has white bark and leaves with whitish undersurfaces
get better
marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint
malaria mosquitoes; distinguished by the adult's head-downward stance and absence of breathing tubes in the larvae
ABELE names a specific poplar tree cultivated for its striking white bark and pale leaf undersides. Most players have never encountered this botanical term, making it a devastating Scrabble play when you need to use that awkward A-B-E combination. Its five letters and common tiles make it easy to form, yet opponents rarely challenge it.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.