How many words with IOU are there?

This page lists 686 words with IOU from our dictionary, each shown with its Scrabble score.

Are these words valid in official Scrabble play?

Not necessarily. This site uses the open ENABLE word list; check the official dictionary used by your game or tournament.

Words With IOU

All 686 words in our dictionary that contain IOU — sorted by Scrabble score.

686 words · number = Scrabble score · sorted highest score first

inefficaciously28 hyperfastidious27 efficaciously26 excrementitious26 expeditiously26 hyperconscious26 injudiciously26 loquaciously26 obsequiously26 perspicaciously26 phenylthioureas26 sequaciously26 symphoniously26 efficaciousness25 expeditiousness25 injudiciousness25 judiciousnesses25 loquaciousness25 obsequiousness25 phenylthiourea25 vexatiousnesses25 amphibiously24 incommodiously24 judiciously24 obnoxiousnesses24 perjuriously24 vexatiously24 amphibiousness23 compendiously23 contumaciously23 hypercautious23 inefficacious23 judiciousness23 obnoxiously23 officiousnesses23 preconsciously23 rambunctiously23 subconsciously23 superluxurious23 vexatiousness23 vivaciousnesses23 commodiously22 compendiousness22 conscientiously22 impecuniously22 imperviously22 inharmoniously22 injuriousnesses22 luxuriousnesses22 obnoxiousness22 officiously22 opprobriously22 sanctimoniously22 scrumptiously22 subreptitiously22 unceremoniously22 vivaciously22 adventitiously21 bumptiousnesses21 capaciousnesses21 capriciously21 commodiousness21 contumeliously21 efficacious21 expeditious21 impecuniousness21 imperviousness21 inauspiciously21 injudicious21 injuriously21 loquacious21 luxuriously21 meretriciously21 obsequious21 officiousness21 opprobriousness21 overanxious21 overfastidious21 oversuspicious21 parsimoniously21 perfidiously21 perspicacious21 pertinaciously21 precociously21 sequacious21 superciliously21 symphonious21 uxoriousnesses21 vaingloriously21 vivaciousness21 acrimoniously20 anxiousnesses20 avariciously20 bumptiously20 capaciously20 capriciousness20 ceremoniously20 compunctious20 disputatiously20 euphoniously20 facetiousnesses20 factitiously20 fallaciously20 ferociousnesses20 fictitiously20 fractiousnesses20 harmoniously20 hellaciously20 infectiously20 injuriousness20 lasciviously20 luxuriousness20 mendaciously20 mysteriously20 noxiousnesses20 obliviousnesses20 overambitious20 overconscious20 perfidiousness20 precociousness20 preconsciouses20 pugnaciously20 punctiliously20 rumbustiously20 sacrilegiously20 subconsciouses20 superambitious20 superstitiously20 surreptitiously20 unconsciously20 unmaliciously20 unpretentiously20 uxoriously20 veraciousnesses20 vicariousnesses20 victoriously20 voraciousnesses20 abstemiously19 acrimoniousness19 ambitiousnesses19 amphibious19 anxiously19 auspiciously19 avariciousness19 bodaciously19 bumptiousness19 burglariously19 calumniously19 capaciousness19 ceremoniousness19 consciousnesses19 contradictious19 disharmonious19 euphoniousness19 facetiously19 factiousnesses19 factitiousness19 fallaciousness19 fastidiously19 ferociously19 fictitiousness19 flagitiously19 flirtatiously19 fractiously19 harmoniousness19 ignominiously19 imperiousnesses19 incommodious19 infectiousness19 invidiousnesses19 judicious19 lasciviousness19 lubriciously19 maliciousnesses19 mendaciousness19 mysteriousness19 noxiously19 obliviously19 overobvious19 overseriously19 perjurious19 perniciously19 perviousnesses19 precariously19 prestigiously19 previousnesses19 prodigiously19 propitiously19 pugnaciousness19 punctiliousness19 rapaciousnesses19 rumbustiousness19 semiconscious19 suspiciously19 ultrafastidious19 unconsciousness19 uxoriousness19 veraciously19 vexatious19 vicariously19 victoriousness19 voraciously19 abstemiousness18 ambitiously18 anxiousness18 audaciousnesses18 auspiciousness18 behaviours18 captiousnesses18 compendious18 consciously18 contagiously18 contentiously18 contumacious18 deliciousnesses18 facetiousness18 factiously18 fastidiousness18 feloniousnesses18 ferociousness18 flagitiousness18 flirtatiousness18 fractiousness18 hilariousnesses18 ignominiousness18 imperiously18 invidiously18 lugubriously18 maliciously18 melodiousnesses18 meritoriously18 noninfectious18 noxiousness18 obliviousness18 obnoxious18 obviousnesses18 perniciousness18 precariousness18 preciousnesses18 preconscious18 prestigiousness18 pretentiously18 previously18 prodigiousness18 propitiousness18 rambunctious18 rapaciously18 repetitiously18 sagaciousnesses18 semiprecious18 spaciousnesses18 speciousnesses18 subconscious18 supposititious18 suspiciousness18 temerariously18 ungraciously18 unmelodiousness18 vagariously18 veraciousness18 vicariousness18 viciousnesses18 voraciousness18 ambitiousness17 atrabiliousness17 atrociousnesses17 audaciously17 autoeciously17 behaviour17 captiously17 censoriously17 commodious17 conscientious17 consciousness17 contagiousness17 contentiousness17 copiousnesses17 curvacious17 deleteriously17 deliciously17 deviousnesses17 egregiousnesses17 eximious17 factiousness17 feloniously17 graciousnesses17 gregariously17 heteroecious17 hilariously17 homoiousians17 impecunious17 imperiousness17 impervious17 incautiously17 incuriousnesses17 industriously17 inharmonious17 invidiousness17 irreligiously17 laboriousnesses17 licentiously17 lugubriousness17 maliciousness17 melodiously17 meritoriousness17 multifarious17 multireligious17 nefariously17 obviously17 officious17 opprobrious17 ostentatiously17 overcautious17 overingenious17 penuriousnesses17 perviousness17 preciously17 pretentiousness17 previousness17 rapaciousness17 rebelliously17 repetitiousness17 robustiously17 sagaciously17 salaciousnesses17 salubriously17 sanctimonious17 scrumptious17 socioreligious17 spaciously17 speciously17 subreptitious17 supercautious17 temerariousness17 tenaciousnesses17 tendentiously17 unceremonious17 unconsciouses17 ungraciousness17 uproariously17 viciously17 vivacious17 adventitious16 atrociously16 audaciousness16 capricious16 captiousness16 cautiousnesses16 cementitious16 censoriousness16 contumelious16 copiously16 deleteriousness16 deliciousness16 deliriousnesses16 deviously16 dubiousnesses16 egregiously16 enviousnesses16 feloniousness16 graciously16 gregariousness16 hilariousness16 homoiousian16 illustriously16 impiously16 inauspicious16 incautiousness16 incuriously16 industriousness16 ingeniousnesses16 ingloriously16 injurious16 insidiousnesses16 laboriously16 licentiousness16 litigiousnesses16 lusciousnesses16 luxurious16 melodiousness16 meretricious16 nonconscious16 noncontagious16 obviousness16 omnifarious16 parsimonious16 penuriously16 perfidious16 pertinacious16 preciousness16 precocious16 rebelliousness16 religiousnesses16 robustiousness16 sagaciousness16 salaciously16 salubriousness16 seditiousnesses16 semireligious16 sententiously16 spaciousness16 speciousness16 spuriousnesses16 supercilious16 suppositious16 tenaciously16 tendentiousness16 thiouracils16 unfastidious16 unpropitious16 unsuspicious16 uproariousness16 vainglorious16 variousnesses16 viciousness16 acrimonious15 adscititious15 atrociousness15 avaricious15 biliousnesses15 bumptious15 capacious15 cautiously15 ceremonious15 consciouses15 copiousness15 curiousnesses15 deliriously15 deviousness15 disputatious15 dubiously15 egregiousness15 enviously15 euphonious15 factitious15 fallacious15 fictitious15 fugacious15 furiously15 gloriousnesses15 graciousness15 harmonious15 hellacious15 illustriousness15 incuriousness15 infectious15 ingeniously15 ingloriousness15 insidiously15 interreligious15 laboriousness15 lascivious15 litigiously15 lusciously15 mendacious15 mysterious15 nongregarious15 nonobvious15 nutritiously15 penuriousness15 predacious15 pugnacious15 punctilious15 religiously15 rumbustious15 sacrilegious15 salaciousness15 seditiously15 sententiousness15 spuriously15 studiousnesses15 superstitious15 surreptitious15 tenaciousness15 thiouracil15 ultracautious15 unambitious15 unconscious15 uncontentious15 unmalicious15 unpretentious15 unseriousnesses15 uxorious15 variously15 victorious15 abstemious14 antireligious14 anxious14 auspicious14 biliously14 bodacious14 burglarious14 calumnious14 cautiousness14 curiously14 deliriousness14 dubiousness14 enviousness14 facetious14 fashious14 fastidious14 ferocious14 flagitious14 flirtatious14 fractious14 gloriously14 haviours14 ignominious14 ingeniousness14 insalubrious14 insidiousness14 litigiousness14 lubricious14 lusciousness14 monoecious14 notoriously14 noxious14 nutritiousness14 oblivious14 overserious14 pernicious14 precarious14 preciouses14 prestigious14 prodigious14 propitious14 religiousness14 scabiouses14 seditiousness14 spuriousness14 studiously14 suspicious14 tediousnesses14 tendencious14 uncensorious14 unmelodious14 unostentatious14 usuriousnesses14 variousness14 veracious14 vicarious14 voracious14 abstentious13 ambitious13 atrabilious13 biliousness13 conscious13 contagious13 contentious13 contrarious13 curiousness13 factious13 gloriousness13 haviour13 imperious13 invidious13 lugubrious13 malicious13 meritorious13 monecious13 nonnutritious13 nonreligious13 odiousnesses13 paviours13 pervious13 piousnesses13 pluvious13 pretentious13 previous13 rapacious13 repetitious13 seriousnesses13 struthious13 studiousness13 tediously13 temerarious13 tortiously13 ungracious13 unseriousness13 usuriously13 vagarious13 audacious12 autoecious12 captious12 censorious12 curiousest12 deleterious12 delicious12 dioecious12 dissentious12 felonious12 gregarious12 hilarious12 incautious12 industrious12 irreligious12 licentious12 melodious12 nefarious12 obvious12 odiously12 ostentatious12 paviour12 piously12 precious12 rebellious12 robustious12 sagacious12 salubrious12 scabious12 seriously12 spacious12 specious12 tediousness12 tendentious12 tenebrious12 thioureas12 ultraserious12 unenvious12 unreligious12 uproarious12 usuriousness12 vicious12 atrocious11 copious11 curiouser11 devious11 diecious11 edacious11 egregious11 gracious11 illustrious11 impious11 incurious11 inglorious11 laborious11 malarious11 odiousness11 penurious11 piousness11 salacious11 saviours11 sententious11 seriousness11 silicious11 tenacious11 thiourea11 uncurious11 cautious10 delirious10 dubious10 envious10 folious10 furious10 ingenious10 insidious10 litigious10 luscious10 nonserious10 nutritious10 religious10 ructious10 saviour10 scarious10 seditious10 spurious10 various10 arsenious9 bilious9 carious9 curious9 glorious9 nimious9 notorious9 osmious9 rubious9 simious9 studious9 unserious9 tedious8 tortious8 usurious8 odious7 pious7 sanious7 serious7

Why IOU words matter

Words containing IOU are handy for Scrabble, Words with Friends and word puzzles — filter the list above by length to find the play you need.

What the numbers say

A few numbers before you scroll: the 686 words here run from 5 to 15 letters, with 13-letter words the largest group (110 entries). Wordle players have 1 five-letter options, and there are 26 seven-letter candidates for a Scrabble bingo. The single best scorer is INEFFICACIOUSLY at 28 points before multipliers.

Chasing points? The best five entries here are INEFFICACIOUSLY (28), HYPERFASTIDIOUS (27), EFFICACIOUSLY (26), EXCREMENTITIOUS (26), EXPEDITIOUSLY (26). The longest entry is ACRIMONIOUSNESS at 15 letters, and the average word here is worth about 17 points. The most useful tiles to hold for this list are I, U and O, which appear in 686, 686 and 686 of the words respectively.

Three words worth learning first

ODIOUS — 6 letters for 7 points; every tile in it is a common draw, so it shows up rack after rack.
Playing PIOUS across a double-word square turns its base 7 points into 14 — solid value for 5 tiles.
SANIOUS — a 7-letter, 7-point play that slots into tight board lanes where longer words won't fit.

Five more everyday options from the same list: SERIOUS (7), TORTIOUS (8), USURIOUS (8), ARSENIOUS (9), NOTORIOUS (9).

IOU as a vocabulary shortcut

Groups like this one reward a different kind of practice: pick five words of different lengths from the list above, write each in a sentence, and the IOU pattern moves into long-term memory. It is also a quiet Scrabble edge — racks that spell IOU plus common tiles come up constantly, and prepared players cash them in while others shuffle letters.

More high-value letters

Find more specific words

Need to narrow by starting letter, ending letter or a Wordle pattern? Use the Word Finder.