Hooking with -WAY words
Endings like -WAY 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: 123 entries between 4 and 12 letters long, peaking at 7 letters with 47 words. Five-letter picks number 3 and seven-letter picks 47. Nothing here outscores SUPERHIGHWAY — 27 points from 12 tiles on plain squares.
The five biggest scorers on the page: SUPERHIGHWAY (27), BREEZEWAY (26), EXPRESSWAY (25), COMPANIONWAY (24), THOUGHTWAY (23). The longest entry is COMPANIONWAY at 12 letters, and the average word here is worth about 17 points. Letter-wise, W is the workhorse — it appears in 123 of these words, ahead of A (123) and Y (123).
Three words worth learning first
- When the rack looks hopeless, AIRWAY (6 letters, 12 points) is the kind of quiet play that keeps a game moving.
- LEEWAY earns 12 points from just 6 tiles — and it is a word few opponents will bother to challenge.
- OILWAY — a 6-letter, 12-point play that slots into tight board lanes where longer words won't fit.
Once those stick, file away the next tier too: RUNWAY (12), SEAWAY (12), LOGWAY (13), ALWAY (11), NOWAY (11).
-WAY as a board weapon
Endings are Scrabble's cheapest points. A word finishing in -WAY 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 -WAY 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.