Words Containing O

100 words

The letter O appears in more words than any other vowel in this dictionary. From two-letter basics like GO and DO to medical terms stretching twenty letters long, O connects Anglo-Saxon roots to Latin borrowings to modern scientific vocabulary.

2-letter words

10

3-letter words

22

4-letter words

27

5-letter words

18
View all 18

6-letter words

9

7-letter words

10

8-letter words

3

9-letter words

1

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

O gives word game players remarkable flexibility, functioning as both a common linking vowel and a high-value target in specific combinations.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

O often serves as a connecting vowel in compound words, especially those built from Greek and Latin roots. Medical and scientific terminology loves O as a combining form—think cardio-, neuro-, and bio-. This pattern also dominates in words ending with the diminutive -ito or the agent suffix -or, giving us everything from mosquito to conductor.

Total Words

53,016

17.7% of dictionary

Avg Length

9.6 letters

3.5 syllables

Top Scrabble

HYPOPHYSECTOMIZING

48 points

Longest Word

ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIC

20 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
67%
Verbs
6%
Adjectives
25%
Adverbs
2%

With 67% nouns and 25% adjectives, O-containing words skew heavily toward naming things rather than describing actions. The average length of 9.6 letters reflects the prevalence of compound terms and Latinate vocabulary that use O as their structural glue.

Middle English and Latin together dominate the origins of O-words, reflecting how English absorbed vocabulary during the Norman period and Renaissance. The etymology of ANCHOVY traces a Mediterranean journey from Vulgar Latin through Ligurian to Spanish before reaching English. ANHEDONIA shows the Greek scientific tradition, building from the prefix ἀν- (without) to describe the inability to feel pleasure.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

FOZY
19 pts
COZY

having or fostering a warm or friendly and informal atmosphere

18 pts
QOPH

the 19th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

18 pts

Medium (5-7)

POZZY
28 pts
JUKEBOX

a cabinet containing an automatic record player; records are played by inserting a coin

27 pts
KOLKHOZ

a collective farm owned by the communist state

27 pts

Long (8+)

HYPOPHYSECTOMIZING
48 pts
HYPOPHYSECTOMIZED

having the pituitary gland removed by surgery

47 pts
HYPOPHYSECTOMIZE

remove the pituitary glands

45 pts
HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE

a diuretic drug (trade name Microzide, Esidrix, and HydroDIURIL) used in the treatment of hypertension

44 pts

JUKEBOX demonstrates the scoring gap between games—27 points in Scrabble but 31 in Words With Friends, where J carries more weight. Both games reward HYPOPHYSECTOMIZING at the top, but WWF's different letter values make OVERCOMMERCIALIZING a uniquely strong play there. For shorter plays, JOCK scores 20 in WWF compared to lesser options, making it a reliable four-letter powerhouse.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)

OTHERStarter

belonging to the distant past

THOSEStarter
STORYStarter

a record or narrative description of past events

WORSEStarter

changed for the worse in health or fitness

Common Words (likely answers)

ABOUTCommon

used of movement to or among many different places or in no particular direction

GOINGCommon

the act of departing

WOULDCommon
COULDCommon

Start with OTHER or THOSE to test both O placement and common consonants like T, H, and R. STORY and WORSE offer alternative consonant coverage while keeping O in different positions.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIC20 letters
ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIN20 letters
ANTHROPOMORPHIZATION20 letters
COMPARTMENTALIZATION20 letters

Shortest

BO2 letters
DO2 letters
GO2 letters
HO2 letters

The shortest O-words (BO, DO, GO, HO) are among English's most ancient, while twenty-letter terms like ADRENOCORTICOTROPHIC emerged from modern medicine's need for precise compound descriptions.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

ABORTIVE

failing to accomplish an intended result

"an abortive revolt"

ABSOLUTISM

the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government

ACCENTUATION

the act of giving special importance or significance to something

ACCOUTREMENT

clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing

ACCOUTREMENT means clothing or equipment that's worn or carried but isn't part of your main outfit—think belts, pouches, or ceremonial accessories. This French-derived word appears in both military and fashion contexts, and its unusual spelling makes it a memorable find for word game players who recognize its validity.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.

More "O" Pages

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