Words Starting With OS
100 wordsOS words tap into one of English's most productive Greek and Latin roots, connecting bones, mouths, and shells through ancient anatomy. This small collection offers specialized vocabulary that rewards players who venture beyond common territory.
2-letter words
13-letter words
14-letter words
35-letter words
56-letter words
127-letter words
138-letter words
89-letter words
1310-letter words
1411-letter words
1012-letter words
1013-letter words
614-letter words
215-letter words
118-letter words
1Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The OS pattern reveals where scientific terminology meets everyday English, creating opportunities for strategic play across word games.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
The Greek root 'osteo-' (bone) and Latin 'os' (mouth, opening) dominate this pattern, giving us the medical vocabulary of OSTEOLOGY and OSSIFY. Words like OSCULUM (a small opening or mouth-like pore) show how Latin anatomical terms entered English through scientific naming conventions. The pattern also captures OSTRACIZE, from the Greek practice of voting to exile citizens by writing names on pottery shards (ostraka).
Total Words
142
0.0% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.1 letters
3.9 syllables
Top Scrabble
OSTEOPATHICALLY
25 points
Longest Word
OSTENTATIOUSNESS
16 letters
Parts of Speech
With 75% nouns, this pattern skews heavily toward naming things rather than describing actions—typical of scientific and technical vocabulary. The average length of 9.1 letters and 3.9 syllables per word reflects the Latinate medical terminology that dominates the set.
Latin and Ancient Greek together account for nearly all traceable origins here, reflecting how English borrowed wholesale from classical languages when building its scientific vocabulary. The OSTRICH etymology reveals a fascinating corruption: from Latin 'avis struthio' (ostrich bird) through Vulgar Latin, the 'avis' portion fused and garbled into the modern form. Meanwhile, OSAR traces to Old Norse 'áss,' showing that not everything OS comes from the Mediterranean.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
the left eye
Medium (5-7)
Long (8+)
Short (2-4)
the left eye
Medium (5-7)
a hard brittle blue-grey or blue-black metallic element that is one of the platinum metals; the heaviest metal known
Long (8+)
a device for making a record of the wave forms of fluctuating voltages or currents
OSCULUM scores 16 points in Words With Friends compared to its Scrabble equivalent, making the C and M more valuable in WWF's scoring system. For Scrabble players, OSTMARK delivers 13 points with common tiles, while WWF players should note OSTRACIZABLE's impressive 28-point ceiling. The long medical terms like OSTEOPATHICALLY offer similar point totals across both games, but their tile requirements make them situational plays.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
any of various willows having pliable twigs used in basketry and furniture
Common Words (likely answers)
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
any of various willows having pliable twigs used in basketry and furniture
OSCAR and OSIER both test the common vowels O and I while probing different consonant frequencies. OSCAR checks R, S, and C—three of the most common consonants—making it a solid diagnostic opener.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Longest
Shortest
The two-letter OS stands alone as the shortest option, a rare anatomical term for the eye. The pattern then jumps to longer scientific compounds, with little middle ground between casual and technical vocabulary.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
set in a rigidly conventional pattern of behavior, habits, or beliefs
"an ossified bureaucratic system"
any receptacle for the burial of human bones
the branch of anatomy that studies the bones of the vertebrate skeleton
the state of being banished or ostracized (excluded from society by general consent)
OSSUARY refers to a container or vault for storing human bones, typically after burial elsewhere. This evocative word appears in discussions of ancient burial practices and Gothic architecture. It's valid in competitive play and memorable enough to stick once you've learned it.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.