5-Letter Words Ending With LY

100 words

Words ending in -LY form the backbone of English adverbs, turning adjectives into descriptions of how things happen. This collection includes common everyday words alongside some surprising game-legal options that can rescue a difficult rack.

Pattern Guide

Word recommendations for board games.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Top 5-Letter Words

JOWLY

having sagging folds of flesh beneath the chin or lower jaw

18 pts
JELLY

make into jelly

15 pts
JOLLY

a yawl used by a ship's sailors for general work

15 pts
LAXLY

in a permissively lenient manner

15 pts
SHYLY

in a shy or timid or bashful manner

14 pts
WRYLY

in a wry manner

14 pts
COYLY

in a coy manner

13 pts
HAPLY

by accident

13 pts

JOWLY dominates both games, scoring 18 in Scrabble and 20 in WWF thanks to the J tile. The real strategic difference shows with AMPLY—worth 14 in WWF but only 12 in Scrabble. FUGLY, a slang term many players overlook, scores 14 in WWF. When you need to dump awkward letters, LAXLY handles both X and Y while scoring 15-16 points across games.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

EARLYStarter

in good time

Common Words (likely answers)

EARLYCommon

in good time

SILLYCommon

inspiring scornful pity

TRULYCommon

with sincerity; without pretense

BILLYCommon

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

EARLY makes an excellent Wordle starter with two vowels and the common consonants R and L. The Y in the final position immediately confirms or eliminates one of Wordle's favorite word patterns.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

JOWLY

having sagging folds of flesh beneath the chin or lower jaw

WRYLY

in a wry manner

"`I see,' he commented wryly"

COLLY

make soiled, filthy, or dirty

BIALY

flat crusty-bottomed onion roll

BIALY is a flat, crusty-bottomed onion roll—and a legitimate game word. Most players have eaten one without knowing its name, let alone that it's playable. It offers a clean way to use a difficult Y while scoring modestly but reliably.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.