Words Starting With U
100 wordsU words form one of English's most distinctive collections, dominated by the prefix UN- that negates thousands of adjectives and verbs. This letter appears at the start of words ranging from everyday terms like UP and US to complex formations like UNCHARACTERISTICALLY. Here you'll find useful words for word games alongside vocabulary that reveals English's fondness for negation.
2-letter words
33-letter words
24-letter words
75-letter words
156-letter words
167-letter words
138-letter words
79-letter words
510-letter words
1611-letter words
512-letter words
513-letter words
514-letter words
1Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The letter U presents unique strategic challenges in word games, from high-value short plays to lengthy prefix-heavy words that can dominate the board.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
The prefix UN- accounts for a massive portion of U words, explaining why 65% are adjectives—most are negated forms like UNFAZED or UNCOMMERCIALIZED. This single prefix transforms any positive adjective into its opposite, making U one of English's most productive starting letters. Beyond negation, U also begins important Latin-derived roots like ULTRA- (beyond) and UNI- (one).
Total Words
5,027
5.7% of dictionary
Avg Length
9.9 letters
3.6 syllables
Top Scrabble
UNCOMMERCIALIZED
34 points
Longest Word
UNCHARACTERISTICALLY
20 letters
Parts of Speech
At 65% adjectives, U words heavily skew toward descriptive language—far above typical dictionary distribution. The average length of 9.9 letters reflects how UN- compounds with already substantial base words, creating these extended formations.
Middle English dominates U words, which makes sense given that UN- as a negating prefix was well-established in this period. Latin and Old English also contribute significantly, with Latin giving us roots like UNCLE (from avunculus, meaning maternal uncle) and Old English providing fundamental words like UNDER, which traces back through Proto-Germanic. The word UNDERSTAND shows this Germanic heritage clearly, building from Old English understandan.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
genus of Eurasian spiny shrubs: gorse
inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
Medium (5-7)
Long (8+)
not having been commercialized
not showing or expressing sympathy
in uncharacteristic manner
Short (2-4)
genus of Eurasian spiny shrubs: gorse
a slight rounded elevation where the malleus attaches to the eardrum
Medium (5-7)
Long (8+)
not having been commercialized
not showing or expressing sympathy
in uncharacteristic manner
ULEX scores 13 points in Words With Friends versus 11 in Scrabble—a modest but meaningful difference when playing short tactical words. The real action happens with UPCHUCK: it earns 24 points in WWF compared to 20 in Scrabble, making it notably more valuable on the WWF board. Long UN- words like UNCOMMERCIALIZED score substantially higher in WWF (41 vs 34), so save these extended plays for that platform when possible.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
UPSET and UTTER both test the common letters U and T while checking different vowels and consonants. ULTRA offers the useful L-T-R combination, while USHER provides S and H coverage—both high-frequency consonants in five-letter words.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Longest
Shortest
The abundance of long U words stems directly from UN- prefix stacking onto already lengthy adjectives. When you negate COMMERCIALIZED or CHARACTERISTICALLY, you create 15+ letter behemoths that are valid but rarely playable.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
having an ulcer or canker
a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue
of or relating to or characterized by ulceration
"ulcerative colitis"
having an ulcer or canker
ULCERATED means having an ulcer or canker—not pleasant, but valid in both Scrabble and Words With Friends. It's a nine-letter word that uses common tiles (no high-value letters), making it playable when you're stuck with a rack of mid-range consonants and need to clear space. Medical terms like this often surprise opponents who challenge them.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.