Hooking with -IL words
Endings like -IL 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.
A quick statistical tour
Inside this list: 292 words spanning 3–12 letters. The biggest cluster sits at 7 letters (70 words), 36 entries are Wordle-sized at five letters, and 70 run to seven — bingo length if you can empty the rack. For points, the ceiling is CINQUEFOIL, worth 24.
For quick reference, the top of the score table reads: CINQUEFOIL (24), JONQUIL (23), CHROMOPHIL (22), JEZAIL (22), OXYPHIL (22). FLUOROURACIL (12 letters) stretches furthest, while the list-wide average score sits near 10 points. If you are fishing for these words, keep I (292 appearances), L (292) and A (166) on your rack.
Start with these three
- When the rack looks hopeless, AIL (3 letters, 3 points) is the kind of quiet play that keeps a game moving.
- NIL is easy to keep in memory: 3 letters, 3 points, and no awkward tiles to hunt for.
- OIL earns 3 points from just 3 tiles — and it is a word few opponents will bother to challenge.
Once those stick, file away the next tier too: TIL (3), ANIL (4), ARIL (4), NAIL (4), NOIL (4).
Why -IL endings win turns
When the board tightens up late in a Scrabble game, -IL 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.