Words With AE in the Middle
69 wordsThe AE combination marks words as distinctly British or classical in origin. This digraph appears in scientific terminology, borrowed Latin plurals, and spelling variants that American English often simplifies to just 'E'. You'll find medical terms, mythological references, and archaic forms that reward players who know their variant spellings.
4-letter words
15-letter words
26-letter words
87-letter words
68-letter words
19-letter words
1010-letter words
411-letter words
1312-letter words
1213-letter words
814-letter words
215-letter words
2Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The AE pattern offers a window into English's classical inheritance and the spelling divide between British and American conventions.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
AE often signals a Latin or Greek plural form preserved in English—think 'larvae' or 'antennae.' In British spelling, this digraph survives in words like 'haemoglobin' where Americans write 'hemoglobin.' Many AE words cluster in scientific and medical vocabulary because these fields historically preserved classical spellings to maintain precision across languages.
Total Words
768
0.3% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.5 letters
3.8 syllables
Top Scrabble
HYPERGLYCAEMIC
32 points
Longest Word
AEROTHERMODYNAMICS
18 letters
Parts of Speech
At 77% nouns, this pattern skews heavily toward naming things rather than describing actions—typical of borrowed technical vocabulary. The average length of 9.5 letters reflects the dominance of compound scientific terms over everyday words.
Latin and Ancient Greek contribute equally to AE words, which makes sense given the digraph's classical origins. The journey of MAESTRO from Italian back through Latin to Proto-Italic shows how musical terminology retained its Romance language flavor. PAELLA's path from Spanish through Catalan to Old French traces the Mediterranean trade routes that carried both cuisine and vocabulary.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
a complex red organic pigment containing iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds
the lofty nest of a bird of prey (such as a hawk or eagle)
Medium (5-7)
cast-off skins or coverings of various organisms during ecdysis
of or relating to pyemia
Long (8+)
the bright red hemoglobin that is a combination of hemoglobin and oxygen from the lungs
of or relating to hypoglycemia
Short (2-4)
a complex red organic pigment containing iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds
of bluish-black or grey-blue
Medium (5-7)
cast-off skins or coverings of various organisms during ecdysis
of or relating to pyemia
Long (8+)
the bright red hemoglobin that is a combination of hemoglobin and oxygen from the lungs
of or relating to hypoglycemia
The medical blockbusters HYPERGLYCAEMIC and OXYHAEMOGLOBIN top both games, but WWF rewards them more generously due to its inflated point values for rare letters. For accessible plays, HAEM scores 9 points in both games and uses common tiles. EXUVIAE offers strong value in WWF at 19 points versus 17 in Scrabble, making it worth memorizing despite its obscure meaning of 'cast-off skins.'
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
kindly endorsement and guidance
(Norse mythology) the chief of gods living at Asgard
yellow-fever mosquitos
Common Words (likely answers)
primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves
kindly endorsement and guidance
(Norse mythology) the chief of gods living at Asgard
AEGIS makes an excellent starter, covering three vowels including the crucial E while testing the common consonants G and S. VITAE offers a different vowel spread if you want to probe for I and A positions.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Short AE words like HAEM and FRAE are often Scottish dialect or archaic forms, while longer words tend to be scientific compounds. The pattern naturally gravitates toward length because classical prefixes and suffixes stack readily onto Latin and Greek roots.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
ATHENAEUM refers to a literary or scientific association for promoting learning—named after the Greek goddess of wisdom. Beyond its scholarly charm, it's a powerhouse in word games: seven common letters, three vowels well distributed, and valid in both Scrabble and WWF. It transforms 'learning' into 'earning' quite literally.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.