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5 Letter Words Starting with B

There are 589 5-letter English words that start with B, ranging alphabetically from BAAED to BYWAY. Top Scrabble® scorers on this list: BOOZY (19), BRAXY (17), BUXOM (16). Roughly 11% of these words end in E, so an E-hook on the board is worth watching for.

Word list

B

Point values shown are Scrabble® (letters only, before board bonuses). Browse deeper via the word-lists hub.

Top 10 highest-scoring words

Scored on letters only (no board bonuses). WWF uses different tile values from Scrabble — J, Q and Z are worth 10 points in WWF; X is worth 8.

#WordScrabbleWWF
1boozy1919
2braxy1717
3buxom1619
4bemix1618
5bezel1618
6bezil1618
7blaze1618
8blitz1618
9bonze1618
10baiza1617

Strategy for this list

B is worth 3 in Scrabble and starts a moderate share of the dictionary (~4,000 words). High-value B-openers include BAZAAR, BEZEL, BLITZ and BLAZE — B lets you score for both the leading tile and the vowel that follows. In Wordle, B-starters cluster around BREAD, BRAIN, BLACK and BROWN — testing a B in position 1 confirms both the letter and one of the most common English opening consonant clusters (BR-, BL-). The two-letter B-words (BA, BE, BI, BO, BY) are all valid and BY at 7 points is a top-value two-letter play.

FAQs

How many 5-letter words start with B?

589 valid 5-letter English words begin with B in the ENABLE English word list.

Are these valid in Wordle and Scrabble?

Words on this page come from the ENABLE English word list. UK Scrabble (Collins Scrabble Words) accepts the overwhelming majority; a handful may not be legal in the North American NASPA Word List (NWL2023).

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