Words Containing EN
100 wordsThe letter combination EN appears throughout English, forming everything from simple three-letter words to pharmaceutical tongue-twisters. This pattern connects ancient Anglo-Saxon roots to modern scientific terminology, making it essential territory for word game players and vocabulary enthusiasts alike.
3-letter words
44-letter words
105-letter words
186-letter words
217-letter words
198-letter words
99-letter words
1210-letter words
7Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
EN sits at a crossroads of English vocabulary, appearing in words borrowed from Latin, French, and Germanic sources over centuries.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
EN frequently functions as both a prefix meaning 'to put into' (envy, enter) and a suffix creating past participles or adjectives (taken, broken). This dual role explains its remarkable productivity in English word formation. The pattern also appears in countless scientific and medical terms, where Greek and Latin roots combine with EN to describe biological processes and chemical compounds.
Total Words
10,836
3.6% of dictionary
Avg Length
10.3 letters
3.6 syllables
Top Scrabble
OXYPHENBUTAZONE
41 points
Longest Word
ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIC
20 letters
Parts of Speech
With 64% nouns dominating this pattern, EN words lean heavily toward naming things rather than describing actions. The average length of 10.3 letters—well above typical English words—reflects the pattern's prevalence in technical and scientific vocabulary.
Middle English and Latin dominate this pattern's ancestry, with French contributions forming a significant third stream. The etymology of OXYGEN traces a fascinating path from French through Ancient Greek, where 'oxys' meant sharp or acid—early chemists believed all acids contained oxygen. This layered history shows English absorbing EN words during multiple periods of linguistic contact.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
third mast from the bow in a vessel having three or more masts; the after and shorter mast of a yawl, ketch, or dandy
make keen or more acute
Long (8+)
an anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Tandearil) used to treat arthritis and bursitis
any of several similar lipophilic amines used as tranquilizers or sedatives or hypnotics or muscle relaxants; chronic use can lead to dependency
a mild state of dissociation
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
third mast from the bow in a vessel having three or more masts; the after and shorter mast of a yawl, ketch, or dandy
make keen or more acute
Long (8+)
a mild state of dissociation
an anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Tandearil) used to treat arthritis and bursitis
OXYPHENBUTAZONE represents the holy grail for both games, but scoring differences matter elsewhere. MIZZEN scores 26 in Scrabble versus 28 in WWF, while ENZYMIC jumps from 23 to 25 points. The real strategic insight: WWF's higher Z value (10 vs 10 in Scrabble) means ZEN becomes slightly more valuable relatively, making those short Z-plays more attractive when you're stuck with difficult tiles.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
TAKEN and SPENT make excellent openers, each testing common consonants (T, N) alongside different vowels. AGENT offers an alternative that probes the valuable G position while keeping the essential E and N in play.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
The shortest EN words like DEN and BEN represent Old English survivors, while the longest entries are modern scientific coinages. This span from 2 to 20 letters captures English's entire history of word formation.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
the act of giving special importance or significance to something
clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing
not centered or having no center
"an acentric chromosome fragment"
a simple water-soluble protein found in many animal tissues and liquids
ACCOUTREMENT refers to clothing or equipment that's worn or carried but isn't part of your main outfit—think a soldier's belt pouches or a photographer's vest. This French import scores well in word games thanks to its length and common letter combinations. It's one of those words that sounds more obscure than it is.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.