Words by Ending Letter
Words That End With Q
UMIAQ leads the words that end with Q at 16 points in Scrabble, and every word here carries both scores.
Words by Ending Letter in Scrabble and Words With Friends
Back hooks decide close games. One tile added to the end of a word already played scores that word again in full, and the tile also starts whatever you lay across it, so a single letter earns twice.
The S does this better than any other tile, which is why Scrabble puts only four of them in the bag. Spending one for a plain score wastes the tile. Spending one to pluralize a word and open a new line at the same time wins turns.
Endings That Extend a Word
The -ED, -ER, -ING and -Y endings turn a played word into a longer one without a fresh rack. They reach further across the board than a new word does, which is how a seven-tile rack reaches a triple lane that was otherwise out of range.
Letters That Rarely Close a Word
English writes a final j sound as dge and a final k sound as ck or que, so J and Q end almost nothing. A rack carrying either does better opening a word than closing one, and the words that do end with them are borrowings worth memorising precisely because so few exist.
FAQs
1What is a back hook?
A tile added to the end of a word already on the board. The lengthened word scores in full, and the tile counts again in whatever word you play through it.
2Why do players guard the S tile?
One S pluralizes a word already played while the new word scores in the other direction, two scores from one tile. Scrabble puts four S tiles in the bag, so each one spent poorly is a fifth of the supply gone.
3Which letters almost never end a word?
J and Q. English spells those final sounds as dge, ck or que, which leaves both letters with a handful of borrowed words and nothing else.
4How do word endings score in Words With Friends?
The same way, on a different price sheet. A word ending in Y is worth 3 points for that tile in Words With Friends against 4 in Scrabble, so the two games settle the same play at two totals.
Word lists grouped by final letter. Useful for hooking onto a word already on the board.