Words Starting With F

100 words

F opens doors to some of English's most versatile vocabulary, from simple function words to elaborate compound formations. This collection spans ancient Germanic roots and borrowed elegance from French and Latin, offering rich territory for word enthusiasts and game players alike.

3-letter words

9
View all 9

4-letter words

32
View all 32

5-letter words

18
View all 18

6-letter words

20
View all 20

7-letter words

13
View all 13

8-letter words

5

9-letter words

3

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The letter F carries serious weight in word games, thanks to its 4-point value and surprising flexibility in forming high-scoring combinations.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

F words showcase English's love of descriptive precision. The prefix 'fore-' generates lengthy compounds about anticipation and planning, while the '-ful' and '-fully' suffixes extend adjectives into adverbs with methodical regularity. Notice how F pairs naturally with R to create words about texture and movement—frizz, froth, fresh—a Germanic inheritance that gives these words their tactile immediacy.

Total Words

4,505

3.2% of dictionary

Avg Length

8.3 letters

2.7 syllables

Top Scrabble

FORETHOUGHTFULLY

32 points

Longest Word

FORETHOUGHTFULNESS

18 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
64%
Verbs
9%
Adjectives
22%
Adverbs
4%
Other
0%

With 64% nouns dominating this letter, F words name things more than they describe or act. The average length of 8.3 letters reflects English's tendency to build elaborate F-words through prefixes and suffixes rather than keeping them compact.

Middle English dominates F-words, reflecting the letter's deep roots in the language's formative period. Latin and French contributions layer in through different eras—Latin via scholarly and religious channels, French through the Norman influence on law, cuisine, and culture. The etymology of FUGHETTA traces a musical journey from Italian through Latin, while FINNESKO reveals Scandinavian trade connections through Norwegian and Old Norse origins.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

FIZZ

become bubbly or frothy or foaming

25 pts
FUZZ

uncomplimentary terms for a policeman

25 pts
FIQH
19 pts

Medium (5-7)

FRIZZLY

(of hair) in small tight curls

31 pts
FUZZILY
31 pts
FRIZZY

(of hair) in small tight curls

30 pts

Long (8+)

FORETHOUGHTFULLY
32 pts
FRIZZILY
32 pts
FORETHOUGHTFULNESS
31 pts
FRIZZINESS
31 pts

FIZZ and FUZZ are your workhorses here, scoring 25 points in Scrabble but climbing to 25-26 in Words With Friends where Z carries extra weight at 10 points versus Scrabble's base value. The real divergence appears in longer plays: FUZZBALL reaches 35 points in WWF, making it worth pursuing setups that wouldn't pay off in Scrabble. Both games reward the FZ combination heavily, so memorize those double-Z words like FRIZZLY and FUZZILY for maximum impact.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

FIRSTStarter

the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate)

FRESHStarter

original and of a kind not seen before

FREAKStarter

someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction

FALSEStarter

adopted in order to deceive

Common Words (likely answers)

FIRSTCommon

the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed at first of the bases in the infield (counting counterclockwise from home plate)

FOUNDCommon

use as a basis for; found on

FIGHTCommon

be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight

FRONTCommon

the side that is forward or prominent

FRESH and FREAK make excellent openers, each testing the common R while probing different vowel positions. FALSE offers an alternative approach, checking the useful L and S while covering two vowels in a single guess.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

FORETHOUGHTFULNESS18 letters
FAINTHEARTEDNESS16 letters
FEEBLEMINDEDNESS16 letters
FERROELECTRICITY16 letters

Shortest

FA2 letters
FE2 letters
FAA3 letters
FAB3 letters

FORETHOUGHTFULNESS stretches to 18 letters because English compounds abstract concepts freely—fore + thought + ful + ness stacks four meaningful units. Meanwhile, FA and FE survive as musical notation holdovers, functional despite their brevity.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

FALSIFIER

someone who falsifies

FAMILIARISED

having achieved a comfortable relation with your environment

FARFALLE

pasta shaped with scalloped edges and pinched in the middle, suggestive of a bow tie

FARMSTEAD

a farm together with its buildings

FARFALLE names the bow-tie shaped pasta, derived from the Italian word for butterflies. It's valid in word games and surprisingly useful—those double L's and the terminal E play nicely on existing board letters. Worth knowing for both kitchen credibility and Scrabble flexibility.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.

More "F" Pages

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