Hooking with -RO words
Endings like -RO 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
The shape of this list: 94 entries between 3 and 12 letters long, peaking at 5 letters with 18 words. Five-letter picks number 18 and seven-letter picks 18. Nothing here outscores BUCKAYRO — 19 points from 8 tiles on plain squares.
For quick reference, the top of the score table reads: BUCKAYRO (19), CRUZEIRO (19), VAQUERO (19), CHIAROSCURO (18), EMBARCADERO (18). BANDERILLERO (12 letters) stretches furthest, while the list-wide average score sits near 10 points. Letter-wise, R is the workhorse — it appears in 94 of these words, ahead of O (94) and E (49).
Start with these three
- AERO — 4 letters for 4 points; every tile in it is a common draw, so it shows up rack after rack.
- EURO earns 4 points from just 4 tiles — and it is a word few opponents will bother to challenge.
- INRO is easy to keep in memory: 4 letters, 4 points, and no awkward tiles to hunt for.
Five more everyday options from the same list: TARO (4), TIRO (4), TORO (4), INTRO (5), NITRO (5).
Why -RO endings win turns
Endings are Scrabble's cheapest points. A word finishing in -RO can often be built backwards from a tile already on the board, so you pay for fewer letters than you score. Scan the high scorers above, then look for a spot where the final -RO lands on a premium square — the multiplier applies to your whole word, not just the hook.
More endings
Narrow it down
Pair an ending with a length or starting letter in the Word Finder.