Words Ending With L

100 words

Words ending in L form one of English's most versatile collections, spanning quick two-letter plays to scientific terminology that stretches across the board. This suffix creates adjectives from nouns, transforms roots into descriptive forms, and preserves traces of Latin, French, and Old English origins in everyday vocabulary.

2-letter words

1

3-letter words

4

4-letter words

39
View all 39

5-letter words

21
View all 21

6-letter words

7

7-letter words

13

8-letter words

10

9-letter words

3

12-letter words

1

13-letter words

1

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The L ending offers strategic flexibility across word games, with options ranging from compact scoring plays to board-spanning technical terms.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

The -al suffix dominates this pattern, turning nouns into adjectives: emotion becomes emotional, accident becomes accidental. This Latin-derived ending arrived through French and became one of English's most productive word-forming tools. You'll also find -ful words expressing abundance, -el diminutives, and native English terms like owl and fowl that have carried their L endings since Old English.

Total Words

5,869

2.0% of dictionary

Avg Length

9.1 letters

3.4 syllables

Top Scrabble

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL

40 points

Longest Word

ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL

20 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
42%
Verbs
7%
Adjectives
51%
Adverbs
0%
Other
0%

Adjectives account for 51% of L-ending words, reflecting the suffix's role as English's go-to adjective maker. The average length of 9.1 letters and 3.4 syllables suggests these words often carry substantial root words beneath their endings.

Middle English contributed the largest share of L-ending words, though many of these trace back further to Latin through French intermediaries. The journey of ADMIRAL illustrates this layered history—from Arabic 'amīr al-baḥr' (commander of the sea) through Old French to Middle English, losing the 'd' along the way before English speakers added it back. HYDROMEL shows the Greek pathway, preserving the ancient word for water in a term for honey-water.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

JOWL

the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth

14 pts
HWYL
13 pts
ZEAL

prompt willingness

13 pts

Medium (5-7)

JEZEBEL

a shameless impudent scheming woman

25 pts
QUETZAL

large trogon of Central America and South America having golden-green and scarlet plumage

25 pts
QUEZAL
24 pts

Long (8+)

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
40 pts
QUIZZICAL

perplexed (as if being expected to know something that you do not know)

38 pts
BACTERIOCHLOROPHYLL

a substance in photosensitive bacteria that is related to but different from chlorophyll of higher plants

36 pts
PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL

suffering from an undiagnosed mental disorder

36 pts

JOWL demonstrates the scoring gap between games—14 points in Scrabble but 17 in Words With Friends, where J carries extra weight. JEZEBEL scores 25 in Scrabble versus 29 in WWF, making it more valuable when you're holding that J tile in the latter game. For premium square plays, QUIZZICAL delivers 38 points in Scrabble and climbs to 41 in WWF, capitalizing on the boosted Q and Z values.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

STEALStarter

move stealthily

TRIALStarter

trying something to find out about it

METALStarter

containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal

STEELStarter

get ready for something difficult or unpleasant

Common Words (likely answers)

STILLCommon

to a greater degree or extent; used with comparisons

UNTILCommon

As far as; to the place or degree that; especially, up to the time that; till.

SHALLCommon
SMALLCommon

not large but sufficient in size or amount

STEAL offers strong vowel coverage with E and A plus common consonants S, T, and L. TRIAL provides an alternative that tests the R, while METAL and STEEL help eliminate or confirm the frequently-used E and T.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL20 letters
MICROPALEONTOLOGICAL20 letters
PALEOANTHROPOLOGICAL20 letters
SEMIAUTOBIOGRAPHICAL20 letters

Shortest

AL2 letters
EL2 letters
AIL3 letters
ALL3 letters

Short L words like AL and EL serve as essential connectors in crossword games, while scientific compounds like ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL grow long because they stack multiple Greek and Latin roots before adding the -ical ending.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

ACCUSAL

a formal charge of wrongdoing brought against a person; the act of imputing blame or guilt

AFFECTIONAL

characterized by emotion

ALGAL

of or relating to alga

ANGELICAL

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

ACCUSAL means a formal charge of wrongdoing—the act of imputing blame or guilt. While 'accusation' dominates everyday speech, ACCUSAL remains valid in word games and offers a useful alternative when you need a seven-letter play ending in L.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.

More "L" Pages

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