Words Ending With UAL

100 words

Words ending in -UAL form one of English's most productive adjective suffixes, transforming nouns into descriptive terms. From the simple DUAL to the elaborate PSYCHOSEXUAL, these words describe qualities, states, and relationships across every domain of human experience.

4-letter words

1

5-letter words

3

6-letter words

8

7-letter words

16

8-letter words

11

9-letter words

11

10-letter words

17

11-letter words

14

12-letter words

13

14-letter words

3

15-letter words

2

17-letter words

1

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The -UAL ending creates a distinctive pattern that word game players should master, offering both high-scoring opportunities and strategic positioning options.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

The -UAL suffix derives from Latin's -uālis, which attached to noun stems to create adjectives. This explains why most -UAL words describe qualities related to their root concepts: SENSUAL relates to senses,ITUAL to rites, SEXUAL to sex. The pattern remains productive in modern English, easily forming new adjectives from Latin-derived nouns.

Total Words

116

0.0% of dictionary

Avg Length

9.3 letters

3.9 syllables

Top Scrabble

PSYCHOSEXUAL

29 points

Longest Word

HYPERINTELLECTUAL

17 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
29%
Adjectives
71%

At 71% adjectives, -UAL words show one of the strongest part-of-speech leanings in English suffix patterns. The average length of 9.3 letters reflects the suffix's tendency to attach to substantial Latin roots rather than simple Anglo-Saxon words.

Middle English and Latin dominate this pattern, with Medieval Latin contributing a significant portion through scholarly and religious terminology. The etymology of VICTUAL traces a clear path from Latin's victuālia through Old French before arriving in Middle English. This pattern reveals how Latin adjective-forming suffixes traveled through French before settling into English usage.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

DUAL

consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs

5 pts

Medium (5-7)

COEQUAL

having the same standing before the law

18 pts
RORQUAL

any of several baleen whales of the family Balaenopteridae having longitudinal grooves on the throat and a small pointed dorsal fin

16 pts
UNEQUAL

lacking the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task

16 pts

Long (8+)

PSYCHOSEXUAL

of or relating to the mental or emotional attitudes about sexuality

29 pts
HYPERINTELLECTUAL
27 pts
QUADRILINGUAL
24 pts
VENTRILOQUAL
24 pts

COEQUAL demonstrates the scoring gap between games, earning 18 points in Scrabble versus 21 in Words With Friends. The real strategic value lies in longer plays: PSYCHOSEXUAL nets 29 points in Scrabble but jumps to 31 in WWF due to the higher Y value. HYPERINTELLECTUAL tops WWF scoring at 32 points. Both games reward the -UAL ending for its ability to extend from common roots.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

Common Words (likely answers)

USUALCommon

commonly encountered

EQUALCommon

a person who is of equal standing with another in a group

JOUALCommon

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

HYPERINTELLECTUAL17 letters
SUPERINTELLECTUAL17 letters
INTERINDIVIDUAL15 letters
NONINTELLECTUAL15 letters

The absence of 2-3 letter -UAL words reflects the suffix's Latin origins. Latin adjective endings require substantial stems, making ultra-short forms linguistically impossible.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

CONTEXTUAL

relating to or determined by or in context

"contextual information"

NONSEXUAL

not having or involving sex

SUBLINGUAL

beneath the tongue

PREMENSTRUAL

of or relating to or occurring during the period just before menstruation

SUBLINGUAL means 'beneath the tongue' and appears primarily in medical contexts. Beyond its pharmaceutical applications, this word proves surprisingly useful in word games when you can build off LINGUAL. The SUB- prefix and -UAL suffix combination demonstrates how Latin elements stack in English.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.