Words Starting With LO

100 words

Words beginning with LO span from the ancient to the technical, covering everything from Scottish geography to medical conditions. This collection offers strong consonant-vowel combinations that prove useful across word games, with several high-scoring gems hiding among everyday vocabulary.

2-letter words

1

3-letter words

5

4-letter words

22

5-letter words

25
View all 25

6-letter words

19
View all 19

7-letter words

17
View all 17

8-letter words

8
View all 8

9-letter words

1

10-letter words

2

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

The LO pattern rewards players who look beyond common words. A few strategic choices here can turn a modest hand into a winning play.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

LO words often connect to concepts of place and position. LOCH brings Scottish landscape terminology into English, while LOCOMOTOR and its relatives derive from Latin 'locus' (place) combined with motion. The prefix appears in technical vocabulary spanning medicine, navigation, and mathematics—fields that borrowed heavily from Latin scholarly traditions.

Total Words

644

0.2% of dictionary

Avg Length

7.5 letters

2.6 syllables

Top Scrabble

LOXODROMICALLY

29 points

Longest Word

LOGARITHMICALLY

15 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
70%
Verbs
7%
Adjectives
19%
Adverbs
3%

Nouns dominate this pattern at 70%, reflecting how many LO words name specific things, places, or conditions. The average length of 7.5 letters suggests this pattern favors more complex, often technical vocabulary over short everyday words.

Middle English forms the backbone of LO vocabulary, with Latin providing a strong secondary influence. The journey of LOYAL through Middle French, Old French, and back to Latin 'legālis' shows how legal and political concepts traveled through Romance languages. Meanwhile, LONG traces a purely Germanic path through Old English to Proto-Germanic, demonstrating two distinct channels through which English acquired its vocabulary.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

LOCK

a restraint incorporated into the ignition switch to prevent the use of a vehicle by persons who do not have the key

10 pts
LOX

a bluish translucent magnetic liquid obtained by compressing gaseous oxygen and then cooling it below its boiling point; used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants

10 pts
LOCH

a long narrow inlet of the sea in Scotland (especially when it is nearly landlocked)

9 pts

Medium (5-7)

LOCKJAW

an acute and serious infection of the central nervous system caused by bacterial infection of open wounds; spasms of the jaw and laryngeal muscles may occur during the late stages

23 pts
LOCKBOX

a fireproof metal strongbox (usually in a bank) for storing valuables

22 pts
LOZENGY
20 pts

Long (8+)

LOXODROMICALLY
29 pts
LOGOGRAPHICALLY
27 pts
LOPHOBRANCHIATE
27 pts
LOCKSMITHERY
26 pts

LOCKJAW scores 23 points in Scrabble but jumps to 27 in Words With Friends, thanks to WWF's higher J value (10 versus 8). LOCKBOX follows the same pattern, gaining 3 points in WWF. When holding both games' tiles, prioritize these J-heavy LO words in WWF where they punch harder. LOZENGY offers consistent scoring across both platforms for those tricky Y endings.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

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

LOSERStarter

a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently

Common Words (likely answers)

LOVEDCommon

held dear

LOCALCommon

anesthetic that numbs a particular area of the body

LOVERCommon

an ardent follower and admirer

LOWERCommon

cause to drop or sink

LOSER makes a solid opening guess, delivering two vowels (O, E) plus three common consonants including the frequently-appearing S and R.

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

LOGARITHMICALLY15 letters
LOGOGRAPHICALLY15 letters
LONGSIGHTEDNESS15 letters
LOPHOBRANCHIATE15 letters

Shortest

LO2 letters
LOB3 letters
LOD3 letters
LOG3 letters

The longest LO words like LOGARITHMICALLY and LOXODROMICALLY reflect scientific terminology that borrowed Greek and Latin roots wholesale. English tends to preserve the full length of technical borrowings rather than abbreviating them.

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

LOADSTONE

a permanent magnet consisting of magnetite that possess polarity and has the power to attract as well as to be attracted magnetically

LOCOMOTOR

of or relating to locomotion

LOCUTION

a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations

LOFTILY

in a lofty manner

"she bore herself loftily"

LOADSTONE deserves attention—it's the original spelling of lodestone, a naturally magnetic rock that attracted iron before modern magnets existed. The word captures ancient wonder at magnetic phenomena. In word games, its 10-letter length and common letters make it easier to build than you'd expect.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.

More "LO" Pages

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