Words Starting With PS

100 words

The PS combination produces one of English's most distinctive silent-letter patterns, where the P vanishes entirely in pronunciation. Nearly every PS word traces back to Greek, carrying meanings related to the mind, soul, and breath. This small collection packs serious vocabulary punch for word enthusiasts.

3-letter words

2

4-letter words

1

5-letter words

3

6-letter words

4

7-letter words

6

8-letter words

8

9-letter words

14

10-letter words

13

11-letter words

19

12-letter words

10

13-letter words

9

14-letter words

2

15-letter words

5

16-letter words

2

17-letter words

1

18-letter words

1

Pattern Guide

Insights and recommendations for these words.

That silent P isn't just a spelling quirk—it's a direct link to Ancient Greek that opens up some surprisingly powerful game moves.

Vocabulary & Language

Linguistic patterns and usage statistics

The Greek letter psi (Ψ) originally represented the 'ps' sound, which Greek speakers pronounced naturally but English speakers simplified to just 's'. This is why PS words cluster so heavily around psychology, psychiatry, and related mind-sciences—they all stem from the Greek 'psyche' meaning soul or breath. The prefix pseudo- (false) and psalm- (song) represent the other major PS word families, each preserving its Greek heritage.

Total Words

183

0.1% of dictionary

Avg Length

11.7 letters

4.1 syllables

Top Scrabble

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC

41 points

Longest Word

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC

19 letters

Parts of Speech

Nouns
77%
Verbs
2%
Adjectives
21%

This pattern skews dramatically toward nouns at 77%, with nearly all remaining words being adjectives at 21%. The average length of 11.7 letters reflects how PS words tend toward technical and scientific terminology rather than everyday vocabulary.

Ancient Greek dominates this pattern almost exclusively, which makes linguistic sense—the PS consonant cluster is distinctly Greek. Latin picked up some of these words as intermediaries before they reached English. The path of PSILOCYBIN shows this scholarly transmission: from Greek roots through scientific Latin and German before arriving in modern English.

Word Games

High-value words for board games

Short (2-4)

PSST
6 pts
PSI

a unit of pressure

5 pts
PST

standard time in the 8th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 120th meridian west; used in far western states of the United States

5 pts

Medium (5-7)

PSYCHIC

affecting or influenced by the human mind

19 pts
PSYCHE

that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason

16 pts
PSYCHO

a person afflicted with psychosis

16 pts

Long (8+)

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC
41 pts
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

the study of drugs that affect the mind

41 pts
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
40 pts
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGIC
38 pts

PSYCHIC scores 19 in Scrabble but jumps to 20 in WWF due to the higher C value. The real strategy here involves the short plays: PSI and PST both score modestly but let you dump awkward letters while setting up better positions. PSCHENT (the double crown of ancient Egypt) is WWF-only and scores 16 points—memorize it for those rare PS rack situations.

Wordle

5-letter words for daily puzzles

Common Words (likely answers)

PSYCHCommon
PSALMCommon

any sacred song used to praise the deity

PSHAWCommon
PSOASCommon

either of two muscles of the abdomen and pelvis that flex the trunk and rotate the thigh

Length Extremes

Longest and shortest valid words

Longest

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGIC19 letters
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL19 letters
PSYCHOANALYTICALLY18 letters
PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL18 letters

Shortest

PSI3 letters
PST3 letters

The extreme length of PS words (averaging nearly 12 letters) comes from Greek's love of compound construction. Scientific terms like PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY simply stack Greek roots together: psyche (mind) + pharmakon (drug) + logos (study).

Hidden Gems

Rare but valid words to surprise opponents

PSEUDOPOD

temporary outgrowth used by some microorganisms as an organ of feeding or locomotion

PSYCHOGENIC

of or relating to the psychological cause of a disorder

"a psychogenic disorder"

PSYCHOMOTOR

of or relating to or characterizing mental events that have motor consequences or vice versa

PSALMIST

a composer of sacred songs

PSEUDOPOD describes the temporary projections that amoebas and similar organisms extend for movement and feeding. Beyond its biological precision, it's a valid Scrabble word that combines two common Greek roots (pseudo- meaning false, pod- meaning foot). It's far more playable than the monster compound words that dominate this pattern.

Popular crossword answers

Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.