Hooking with -CLE words
Endings like -CLE let you tack a word onto a tile already on the board, often turning a small play into a big one. Look for the high-value entries above to maximise points.
What the numbers say
The shape of this list: 100 entries between 5 and 14 letters long, peaking at 8 letters with 33 words. Five-letter picks number 4 and seven-letter picks 29. Nothing here outscores QUASIPARTICLE — 26 points from 13 tiles on plain squares.
Chasing points? The best five entries here are QUASIPARTICLE (26), CIRCUMCIRCLE (22), SUPERSPECTACLE (22), HEMICYCLE (21), HETEROCYCLE (21). SUPERSPECTACLE (14 letters) stretches furthest, while the list-wide average score sits near 13 points. Letter-wise, E is the workhorse — it appears in 100 of these words, ahead of C (100) and L (100).
Start with these three
- NUNCLE — 6 letters for 8 points; every tile in it is a common draw, so it shows up rack after rack.
- Playing ORACLE across a double-word square turns its base 8 points into 16 — solid value for 6 tiles.
- SOCLE — a 5-letter, 7-point play that slots into tight board lanes where longer words won't fit.
Once those stick, file away the next tier too: UNCLE (7), BOUCLE (10), CIRCLE (10), ICICLE (10), MUSCLE (10).
Back-hooking with -CLE
When the board tightens up late in a Scrabble game, -CLE words keep you scoring: they attach to existing letters instead of needing seven clean tiles. Crossword solvers use the same trick in reverse — if the grid gives you the last letters, this list is the candidate pool. Check the length filter in the Word Finder to match your open squares exactly.
More endings
Narrow it down
Pair an ending with a length or starting letter in the Word Finder.