Words by length

Find 3-letter words that fit

Use this page when the answer has exactly three letters. Start with familiar clue words, compare vowel and consonant shapes, then use a tighter solver when you know positions or scrambled letters.

Browse 3-letter words Use Pattern Matcher

972 matching words in the data set 180 shown for quick scanning ZAX highest base-score example

Quick answer

Three-letter words are common in crosswords, word-game racks, and short clues because they can be nouns, verbs, pronouns, connectors, or compact scoring plays. Start with familiar answers like ACE, ACT, AIR, AND, ARE, ART, ASK, BAT, BED, CAN, CAR, CAT, DAY, DOG, EAR, EAT, EYE, FOR, GET, HAS, HOW, MAN, ONE, OUT, SEE, THE, TWO, USE, WAS, WAY, WHO, WHY, and YOU.

Know some letters? Find the answer

Type the letters you already have and use ? for each blank square. Searches all 972 3-letter words, not just the ones listed below.

Your pattern

Example: finds 3-letter words with A as the third letter.

One known letter in a fixed position cuts 972 3-letter words down to 39. A second usually leaves a handful.

What 3-letter words look like

Measured across all 972 3-letter words in the list this page is built from.

Most common first letter: A (71), P (62), S (62)
Most common ending: -AT (17), -AY (16), -IN (16)
Average base score: 6.1 points
Hardest letters to start with: X (1), Q (2)

Quick list

Filter 3-letter words

A readable sample of the 972 total, weighted toward familiar words and the high scorers. Endings run heavily to -AT (17 words). To search every one, use the pattern box above.

Filter visible 3-letter words

Showing the words available on this page.

Highest base scores

ZAX 19 ZEK 16 FEZ 15 FIZ 15 PYX 15 WIZ 15 BIZ 14 COZ 14 KEX 14 ZAP 14 ZIP 14 ADZ 13 FAX 13 FIX 13 FOX 13 HAJ 13

ACE 5 ACT 5 ADD 5 AGE 4 AGO 4 AIR 3 ALL 3 AND 4 ANT 3 APE 5 ARE 3 ARM 5 ART 3 ASK 7 ATE 3 BAD 6 BAG 6 BAR 5 BAT 5 BAY 8 BED 6 BEE 5 BET 5 BIG 6 BIT 5 BOX 12 BOY 8 BUS 5 BUT 5 CAN 5 CAR 5 CAT 5 COW 8 CRY 8 CUP 7 DAY 7 DOG 5 DRY 7 EAR 3 EAT 3 EGG 5 END 4 ERA 3 EYE 6 FAR 6 FEW 9 FIT 6 FLY 9 FOR 6 FOX 13 FUN 6 GET 4 GOT 4 HAD 7 HAS 6 HAT 6 HER 6 HIM 8 HIS 6 HIT 6 HOT 6 HOW 9 ICE 5 INK 7 ITS 3 JAR 10 JAW 13 JOB 12 JOY 13 KEY 10 KID 8 LAW 6 LEG 4 LET 3 LOW 6 MAN 5 MAP 7 MAY 8 MIX 12 NET 3 NEW 6 NOT 3 NOW 6 OAK 7 OAT 3 ODD 5 OFF 9 OLD 4 ONE 3 OUT 3 OWN 6 PAY 8 PEN 5 PET 5 PIG 6 PIN 5 PIT 5 PUT 5 RAN 3 RAT 3 RED 4 RUN 3 SAW 6 SAY 6 SEA 3 SEE 3 SET 3 SHE 6 SIT 3 SKY 10 SON 3 SUN 3 TEA 3 TEN 3 THE 6 TIN 3 TOO 3 TOP 5 TRY 6 TWO 6 USE 3 WAR 6 WAS 6 WAY 9 WEB 8 WET 6 WHO 9 WHY 12 WIN 6 YES 6 YET 6 YOU 6 ZIP 14 ZOO 12 AAH 6 AAL 3 AAS 3 ABA 5 ABO 5 ABS 5 BAA 5 BAH 8 BAL 5 BAM 7 CAB 7 CAD 6 CAM 7 CAP 7 DAB 6 DAD 5 DAG 5 DAH 7 DAK 8 DAL 4 EAU 3 EBB 7 ECU 5 EDH 7 FAD 7 FAG 7 FAN 6 FAS 6 FAT 6 GAB 6 GAD 5 GAE 4 GAG 5 GAL 4 GAM 6 HAE 6 HAG 7 HAH 9 HAJ 13 HAM 8 ICH 8 ICK 9 ICY 8 IDS 4 IFF 9 JAB 12

How to scan

Start with the shape of the clue

The highest scorers below are where the awkward letters land. They are worth scanning before you narrow with crossings, confirmed letters, or game feedback.

Common clue words ACE, ACT, AIR, ART, ASK

Good for crossword clues, short definitions, and everyday answer shapes.

Tiny sentence pieces AND, ARE, FOR, HAS, THE

Useful when the clue points to a connector, pronoun, verb, or phrase fragment.

Compact scoring plays BOX, FOX, JAR, JAW, ZIP

Check these when scoring matters, then confirm the game dictionary before playing them.

Examples