Words Ending With S

100 words

Words ending in S form the backbone of English plurals and third-person verbs. This collection spans everything from simple two-letter words to scientific mouthfuls, offering versatile options for word game enthusiasts and vocabulary builders alike.

2-letter words

3

3-letter words

8
View all 8

4-letter words

23
View all 23

5-letter words

29
View all 29

6-letter words

14
View all 14

7-letter words

12

8-letter words

4

9-letter words

4

10-letter words

2

15-letter words

1

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The letter S does heavy lifting in English, turning singular nouns plural and marking present-tense verbs. Understanding how to deploy S-ending words strategically can transform your word game performance.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

The S ending serves multiple grammatical functions—pluralizing nouns, conjugating verbs, and forming possessives. Many S-ending words are actually borrowed wholesale from Latin and Greek, where -us, -is, and -os were common noun endings. Scientific terminology particularly favors these classical suffixes, which explains why medical and technical fields overflow with S-terminating vocabulary.

Total Words

11,913

4.0% of dictionary

Avg Length

9.8 letters

3.2 syllables

Top Scrabble

CHEMOPROPHYLAXIS

40 points

Longest Word

INCOMPREHENSIBLENESS

20 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
78%
Verbs
2%
Adjectives
20%
Adverbs
1%

Nouns dominate this pattern at 78%, which makes sense given that pluralization is the S suffix's primary job. The average length of nearly 10 letters suggests this collection skews toward technical and compound words rather than everyday vocabulary.

Middle English and Latin dominate the origins of S-ending words, reflecting both native word development and classical borrowing. The etymology chains reveal fascinating journeys—ANANAS traveled from Guaraní through Portuguese and Italian before reaching English, while JUS traced a simpler path through French. These patterns show how S endings often survived intact as words crossed linguistic borders.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

JAWS
14 pts
ZOS
12 pts
11 pts

Medium (5-7)

QUIZZES
34 pts
FRIZZES
28 pts
FEZZES
27 pts

Long (8+)

CHEMOPROPHYLAXIS
40 pts
KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS

inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva

38 pts
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS

the study of the interaction of magnetic fields and electrically conducting fluids (as plasma or molten metal)

38 pts
SCHIZOPHYCEOUS
38 pts

JAWS demonstrates the scoring gap between games—16 points in Words With Friends versus 14 in Scrabble, thanks to WWF's higher J value. For maximum impact, QUIZZES scores 35 in WWF compared to 34 in Scrabble. The monster plays like CHEMOPROPHYLAXIS and MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS reward the patient player who can build toward them, with WWF's Z and J bonuses making these scientific terms even more valuable there.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

YEARSStarter

a prolonged period of time

TIMESStarter

an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of division; the product of two numbers is computed

MEANSStarter

considerable capital (wealth or income)

DRESSStarter

cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of

Common Words (likely answers)

YEARSCommon

a prolonged period of time

GUESSCommon

an estimate based on little or no information

TIMESCommon

an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of division; the product of two numbers is computed

HANDSCommon

the force of workers available

YEARS and TIMES both test common consonants while checking different vowels. MEANS adds the valuable N while covering A and E, making these solid opening choices for revealing letter positions quickly.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

INCOMPREHENSIBLENESS20 letters
KERATOCONJUNCTIVITIS20 letters
LYMPHOGRANULOMATOSIS20 letters
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS20 letters

Shortest

AS2 letters
ES2 letters
IS2 letters
OS2 letters

The range from two-letter words like AS and IS to twenty-letter INCOMPREHENSIBLENESS reflects how S functions across all word types. Short S-words often serve as grammatical glue, while longer ones typically represent specialized terminology with Latin or Greek roots.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

AEROBATICS

the performance of stunts while in flight in an aircraft

AIRSICKNESS

motion sickness experienced while traveling by air (especially during turbulence)

ALVEOLUS

a tiny sac for holding air in the lungs; formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways

AMANUENSIS

someone skilled in the transcription of speech (especially dictation)

AMANUENSIS describes someone skilled in transcribing speech, particularly dictation—essentially a professional scribe. This Latin-derived word survives in modern English and plays beautifully in word games, using common letters while scoring respectably through sheer length.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.

More "S" Pages

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