Words Starting With VA
100 wordsVA words anchor some of English's most practical vocabulary—from everyday terms like VAN and VARY to specialized language like VAQUERO and VASCULARIZATION. This collection spans medical terminology, borrowed Spanish, and Latin-rooted abstractions that reveal how English builds its lexicon.
3-letter words
44-letter words
105-letter words
106-letter words
187-letter words
188-letter words
209-letter words
1210-letter words
411-letter words
313-letter words
1Pattern Guide
Insights and recommendations for these words.
The VA pattern offers word game players a reliable toolkit, with scoring potential that shifts notably between different games.
Vocabulary & Language
Linguistic patterns and usage statistics
Latin's influence on VA words runs deep through prefixes like VAC- (empty), VAN- (empty, futile), and VAL- (strength, worth). These roots branch into everyday English: vacancy stems from emptiness, vanquish from defeating, and valid from having strength. The pattern also captures Spanish borrowings like VAQUERO, reflecting the American Southwest's linguistic heritage.
Total Words
431
0.1% of dictionary
Avg Length
8.5 letters
3.2 syllables
Top Scrabble
VASECTOMIZING
30 points
Longest Word
VALETUDINARIANISM
17 letters
Parts of Speech
Nouns dominate this pattern at 67%, typical for a letter combination heavy with Latin-derived technical and abstract terms. The average length of 8.5 letters reflects the prevalence of medical and scientific vocabulary—words like VASCULARIZATION that entered English through scholarly Latin.
Latin and Middle English dominate VA words, often arriving through Old French as an intermediary. The etymology chain for VALE traces a clear path: Middle English borrowed from Old French, which took it from Latin vallis, ultimately reaching back to Proto-Indo-European. Words like VAVASOUR show medieval Latin's influence on feudal terminology, while VAMPLATE reveals how French military vocabulary crossed the Channel.
Word Games
High-value words for board games
Short (2-4)
Long (8+)
susceptible to being defeated
the organic process whereby body tissue becomes vascular and develops capillaries
Long (8+)
the organic process whereby body tissue becomes vascular and develops capillaries
susceptible to being defeated
VAMP scores 11 in Scrabble but jumps to 14 in Words With Friends, making it more valuable in WWF's point economy. VAQUERO reaches 19 points in Scrabble and 21 in WWF—a solid mid-length scorer in both games. For maximum impact, VASECTOMIZING tops both lists at 30 and 35 points respectively. The three-point difference on premium words like VACANCY (17 vs 20) adds up over a full game.
Wordle
5-letter words for daily puzzles
Good Starters (E, A, R, S, T)
a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer
a ballroom dance in triple time with a strong accent on the first beat
VALET and VALSE both test common consonants L and T while covering different vowels. VARAS offers an unusual double-A check, useful when eliminating vowel positions.
Length Extremes
Longest and shortest valid words
Short VA words like VAC, VAN, and VAS serve as word-building blocks—small enough to fit tight board spaces while opening lanes for parallel plays. The longest, VALETUDINARIANISM at 17 letters, shows how Latin medical vocabulary stretches to accommodate precise meanings.
Hidden Gems
Rare but valid words to surprise opponents
be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
"the line on the monitor vacillated"
an antibiotic (trade name Vancocin) effective against some bacterial infections
any of various large tropical carnivorous lizards of Africa and Asia and Australia; fabled to warn of crocodiles
a wine made principally from one grape and carrying the name of that grape
VARAN names the large carnivorous lizards found across Africa, Asia, and Australia—what most people know as monitor lizards. The word supposedly derives from a belief that these reptiles warned of nearby crocodiles. It's a compact five-letter option that can catch opponents off guard.
Popular crossword answers
Words frequently used in crossword puzzles with common clues.