Words Starting With H
100 wordsH opens doors to some of English's most versatile vocabulary. From humble two-letter words to sprawling medical terminology, this letter anchors everything from everyday speech to specialized jargon. Browse the collection below to discover words for games, writing, or pure curiosity.
2-letter words
53-letter words
114-letter words
315-letter words
186-letter words
167-letter words
138-letter words
49-letter words
2Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The letter H rewards players who master its quirks. Here's how to make it work harder in your favorite word games.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
H carries heavy linguistic weight as both a consonant and a silent marker. It creates common prefixes like 'hyper-' and 'hypo-' from Greek, giving us words that describe excess or deficiency. The aspirated 'h' sound distinguishes English from Romance languages, where borrowed words often drop it entirely—explaining why 'hour' and 'honest' stay silent.
Total Words
4,572
3.8% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.0 letters
3.2 syllables
Top Scrabble
HYPOPHYSECTOMIZING
48 points
Longest Word
HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA
20 letters
Parts of Speech
H-words average 3.2 syllables, reflecting the pattern's abundance of technical and medical vocabulary. The 73% noun dominance tracks with scientific terminology, where compound descriptors like 'hydrochlorothiazide' name specific substances rather than actions.
Middle English dominates H-words, with Old English contributing a solid foundation of everyday terms. The etymology of HERD traces a clean path from Middle English through Old English to Proto-Germanic, showing how core vocabulary survived centuries of linguistic upheaval. Greek influence appears heavily in scientific terms, while the 'h' sound itself often marks words that entered English before the Norman Conquest.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
Medium (5-7)
Long (8+)
having the pituitary gland removed by surgery
remove the pituitary glands
a diuretic drug (trade name Microzide, Esidrix, and HydroDIURIL) used in the treatment of hypertension
Short (2-4)
the fifth pillar of Islam is a pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijja; at least once in a lifetime a Muslim is expected to make a religious journey to Mecca and the Kaaba
indistinct or hazy in outline
the fifth pillar of Islam is a pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijja; at least once in a lifetime a Muslim is expected to make a religious journey to Mecca and the Kaaba
Medium (5-7)
Long (8+)
having the pituitary gland removed by surgery
remove the pituitary glands
a musical note having the time value of a sixty-fourth of a whole note
HAJJ demonstrates a key scoring difference—it earns 21 points in Scrabble but jumps to 24 in Words With Friends, where J carries extra weight. The monster words diverge too: HYPOPHYSECTOMIZING scores 48 in Scrabble but climbs to 50 in WWF. For medium-length plays, HUZZAH delivers 30 points in Scrabble and 29 in WWF, making it slightly more valuable in the classic game. Keep HAZZAN ready for both—it's a cantor in Jewish liturgy and scores 27 points across both platforms.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
the hollow muscular organ located behind the sternum and between the lungs; its rhythmic contractions move the blood through the body
a chessman shaped to resemble the head of a horse; can move two squares horizontally and one vertically (or vice versa)
HEART and HEARD make excellent H-starters, each testing two vowels alongside common consonants R and T or D. HORSE offers similar vowel coverage while checking S, one of English's most frequent letters.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Longest
Shortest
The shortest H-words (HA, HE, HI) function as interjections and pronouns—grammatical workhorses that don't need syllables to carry meaning. The longest stretch into medical terminology, where Greek and Latin roots combine into precise compound descriptors.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
a Cuban dance in duple time
dressed in a habit
"the habited men of the monastery"
take or consume (regularly or habitually)
"She became habituated to the background music"
habitual mode of behavior
HABANERA names a Cuban dance in duple time, immortalized in Bizet's Carmen. Most players won't challenge it, assuming it's a proper noun or foreign word. It's valid in competitive play and useful for clearing an awkward rack of common letters.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.