Words Starting With FLO
100 wordsFLO- words capture movement and abundance in English. From the gentle motion of FLOW to the scientific precision of FLOCCULENT, this pattern connects water, growth, and everything that spreads or moves freely.
4-letter words
75-letter words
106-letter words
107-letter words
158-letter words
209-letter words
1610-letter words
1311-letter words
512-letter words
113-letter words
114-letter words
2Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The FLO- pattern rewards players who understand its dual nature—simple motion words and technical vocabulary that can dominate the board.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
FLO- splits into two distinct families. The first stems from words about movement and water: FLOW, FLOAT, FLOOD. The second comes from Latin 'flos' meaning flower, giving us FLORAL, FLOURISH, and FLORIST. This dual origin explains why FLO- words feel either fluid and natural or ornate and botanical—they're drawing from completely different linguistic wells.
Total Words
157
0.1% of dictionary
Avg Length
8.4 letters
2.5 syllables
Top Scrabble
FLOCCULENCY
23 points
Longest Word
FLORIFEROUSNESS
15 letters
Parts of Speech
With 70% nouns dominating this pattern, FLO- words tend to name things rather than describe actions. The 2.5 average syllables reflects the technical vocabulary here—words like FLOCCULENT and FLUORESCENT that entered English through scientific writing.
Middle English and Latin share dominance over FLO- words, but through different channels. The motion words trace back through Old English to Proto-Germanic roots—FLOAT traveled from 'flotian' to 'flutōną,' showing how fundamental floating was to Germanic peoples. The flower-related words came later through Latin and French, entering English when Norman vocabulary reshaped the language.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets
a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets
Long (8+)
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets
a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets
Long (8+)
FLOC stands out as a compact scoring opportunity in both games, earning 9 points in Scrabble and 11 in WWF. The real strategic interest lies in the longer words: FLOCCULENCY scores 23 in Scrabble but jumps to 29 in WWF, making it significantly more valuable when you can build it. FLOOZY offers reliable mid-game scoring at 21 points in both formats—one of the few FLO- words where the games agree exactly.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Longest
FLO- lacks any two or three-letter options, making it unusable for tight board positions. The pattern compensates with substantial words—FLORIFEROUSNESS stretches to 15 letters, reflecting how FLO- roots easily combine with suffixes like -ING, -NESS, and -LY.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
illuminated by means of floodlights
"the floodlit courtyard"
a diagram of the sequence of operations in a computer program or an accounting system
a low plain adjacent to a river that is formed chiefly of river sediment and is subject to flooding
without flower or bloom and not producing seeds
"a flowerless plant"
FLOODLIT means illuminated by floodlights, and it's surprisingly valid in word games. Most players reach for FLOODED or FLOODING when building on FLOOD, missing this compact eight-letter alternative. It's one of those past participles that doubles as an adjective, giving you flexibility in how you play it.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.