Words Containing EL

100 words

The 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

1

4-letter words

15

5-letter words

17
View all 17

6-letter words

17

7-letter words

18

8-letter words

11

9-letter words

9

10-letter words

5

11-letter words

3

12-letter words

3

13-letter words

1

Pattern 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

Nouns
61%
Verbs
8%
Adjectives
20%
Adverbs
11%
Other
0%

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

Short (2-4)

11 pts
JELL

become gelatinous

11 pts
YELK
11 pts

Medium (5-7)

JEZEBEL

a shameless impudent scheming woman

25 pts
HAZELLY
22 pts
SQUELCH

to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition

21 pts

Long (8+)

OVERINTELLECTUALIZED
35 pts
QUELQUECHOSE
35 pts
ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC
34 pts
ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY
34 pts

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)

RELAXStarter

make less taut

STEELStarter

get ready for something difficult or unpleasant

DELTAStarter

a low triangular area of alluvial deposits where a river divides before entering a larger body of water

ARIELStarter

Common Words (likely answers)

HELLOCommon

an expression of greeting

RELAXCommon

make less taut

HOTELCommon

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

SMELLCommon

any property detected by the olfactory system

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

Longest

ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC20 letters
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM20 letters
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL20 letters
MICROELECTROPHORESIS20 letters

Shortest

EL2 letters
BEL3 letters
DEL3 letters
EEL3 letters

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

ABELE

a poplar that is widely cultivated in the United States; has white bark and leaves with whitish undersurfaces

AMELIORATE

get better

ANGELICAL

marked by utter benignity; resembling or befitting an angel or saint

ANOPHELES

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.

More "EL" Pages

Browse words by longer letter combinations starting with "EL".