Hooking with -LO words
Endings like -LO 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
Inside this list: 68 words spanning 4–11 letters. The biggest cluster sits at 6 letters (15 words), 10 entries are Wordle-sized at five letters, and 13 run to seven — bingo length if you can empty the rack. For points, the ceiling is PUNCHINELLO, worth 18.
Chasing points? The best five entries here are PUNCHINELLO (18), PECCADILLO (17), VIOLONCELLO (16), ZORILLO (16), BUFFALO (15). The longest entry is PUNCHINELLO at 11 letters, and the average word here is worth about 10 points. Letter-wise, L is the workhorse — it appears in 68 of these words, ahead of O (68) and E (26).
Start with these three
- NOLO is easy to keep in memory: 4 letters, 4 points, and no awkward tiles to hunt for.
- SILO — a 4-letter, 4-point play that slots into tight board lanes where longer words won't fit.
- When the rack looks hopeless, SOLO (4 letters, 4 points) is the kind of quiet play that keeps a game moving.
Once those stick, file away the next tier too: NIELLO (6), DUELLO (7), APOLLO (8), CATALO (8), GIGOLO (8).
Back-hooking with -LO
Endings are Scrabble's cheapest points. A word finishing in -LO 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 -LO 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.