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8 Letter Words Starting with Y

There are 76 8-letter English words that start with Y, ranging alphabetically from YABBERED to YUMMIEST. Top Scrabble® scorers on this list: YOKOZUNA (24), YAHRZEIT (23), YASHMAKS (20). The list is ordered alphabetically; use the filter box below to jump to a specific starting letter.

Word list

Y

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
1yokozuna2425
2yahrzeit2321
3yashmaks2019
4yeshivah2018
5yardwork1918
6yachtman1819
7yachtmen1819
8yashmacs1818
9yokelish1817
10yamulkas1719

Strategy for this list

Y is worth 4 in Scrabble and starts ~1,500 words. Y is unusual because it acts as both consonant and vowel and appears at the end of adjectives (-Y suffix). Y-openers include YAZZ (not legal), YAWN, YAWL. In Wordle, Y is more common as a position-5 letter than as position-1.

FAQs

How many 8-letter words start with Y?

76 valid 8-letter English words begin with Y 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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