Words With LAS in the Middle

100 words

The LAS cluster appears in words ranging from simple exclamations to complex scientific terminology. This combination creates both everyday vocabulary like FLASH and GLASS and specialized terms from chemistry and biology.

5-letter words

9
View all 9

6-letter words

6

7-letter words

19

8-letter words

15

9-letter words

18

10-letter words

17

11-letter words

10

12-letter words

3

13-letter words

2

14-letter words

1

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The LAS pattern bridges casual vocabulary and technical jargon, making it useful across different word game contexts.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

The LAS cluster often appears in words related to breaking or bursting—BLAST, SPLASH, CLASH—where the sharp consonant blend mimics sudden action. It also forms the root of PLASTIC and its derivatives, from the Greek 'plastikos' meaning 'able to be molded.' Scientific vocabulary loves this pattern, particularly in enzyme names ending in -ASE (DECARBOXYLASE, COCARBOXYLASE) and cellular terminology.

Total Words

623

0.2% of dictionary

Avg Length

9.9 letters

3.3 syllables

Top Scrabble

COCARBOXYLASE

29 points

Longest Word

MISCLASSIFICATION

17 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
76%
Verbs
7%
Adjectives
16%
Adverbs
2%

This pattern skews heavily toward nouns at 76%, with scientific and technical terms driving up the average word length to nearly 10 letters. The 16% adjective representation reflects common endings like ELASTIC and PLASTIC that describe material properties.

Middle English and French dominate this pattern, often through words that traveled from Latin or Greek into medieval European languages. The journey of BLASPHEMY illustrates a typical path: Greek to Church Latin to Old French to Middle English. Russian contributes unexpectedly through GLASNOST, a reminder that English absorbs vocabulary from political and cultural events.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

LASH

leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip

7 pts
ALAS

by bad luck

4 pts
LASE
4 pts

Medium (5-7)

FLASHY

(used especially of clothes) marked by conspicuous display

15 pts
SPLASHY

marked by ostentation but often tasteless

15 pts
FLASKET
14 pts

Long (8+)

COCARBOXYLASE

a coenzyme important in respiration in the Krebs cycle

29 pts
CYTOPLASMICALLY

by means of cytoplasm

29 pts
DECARBOXYLASE

any of the enzymes that hydrolize the carboxyl group

28 pts
THERMOPLASTICITY
28 pts

COCARBOXYLASE and CYTOPLASMICALLY top both Scrabble and WWF, but the gap widens significantly in WWF where CYTOPLASMICALLY scores 34 points versus Scrabble's 29. The medium-length verbs show interesting differences: BECLASP and ENCLASP are WWF-exclusive plays worth 17 and 15 points respectively, while FLASHY and SPLASHY perform equally well in both games. For accessible high scores, FLASKET offers 14 points in Scrabble using common tiles.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

BLASTStarter

hit hard

LASERStarter

an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; an optical device that produces an intense monochromatic beam of coherent light

ATLASStarter

the 1st cervical vertebra

MELASStarter

Common Words (likely answers)

CLASSCommon

a body of students who graduate together

GLASSCommon

a mirror; usually a ladies' dressing mirror

FLASHCommon

a lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph

BLASTCommon

hit hard

BLAST makes an excellent opener, testing B, L, and T alongside the common vowel A. LASER follows well if BLAST misses, checking R and E while confirming the A-position.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

MISCLASSIFICATION17 letters
DECLASSIFICATION16 letters
ERYTHROBLASTOSIS16 letters
ICONOCLASTICALLY16 letters

The shortest LAS words are four letters (LASH, ALAS, LASE), while enzyme and chemistry terms push lengths toward 17 letters. This pattern doesn't produce tiny words because LAS needs surrounding letters to form complete syllables.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

CLASSICIST

a student of ancient Greek and Latin

ELASTIN

a fibrous scleroprotein found in elastic tissues such as the walls of arteries

EYEGLASS

lens for correcting defective vision in one eye; held in place by facial muscles

GLASNOST

a policy of the Soviet government allowing freer discussion of social problems

GLASNOST—the Soviet policy of government transparency—remains valid in word games. Beyond its historical significance marking the end of the Cold War, it's a compact 8-letter word using common tiles. Few players expect Russian political terminology to appear on the board.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.