Words Ending in ED

-ED is the most common two-letter ending for six- and seven-letter words in WyldTyle's dictionary. One word in ten at those lengths ends this way, 3,718 words in all from four letters up. It's cheap to complete, flexible to build toward, and it turns almost any verb into a word that fits a long slot.

Why -ED is the safe ending

E is the most common face on the vowel die, three of ten. D has two of the consonant die's thirty faces, so a typical game brings one or two. Neither is rare, and E is worth 1 point and D 2, so you are not giving up much to use them.

The bigger advantage is what happens before the D arrives. An E in the second-to-last square is a flexible spot: about three in ten six- and seven-letter words have an E there, and behind it the word can still finish in D, R, S, N, T, or L. Put the E down early and you have not yet committed to -ED. You've committed to "something ending in E-plus-one", and there are thousands of those.

• E second-to-last, last square empty. In the six- and seven-letter slots this is the strongest early placement for an E. D, R, and S between them finish most of these words.
• Save a D for a long slot. In a four-letter slot a D is just 2 points. In the last square of a seven-letter word it can complete a 15-point word.
• Watch the doubled consonant. Many -ED words double the letter before the ending: BOBBED, PLANNED, STOPPED. If your word reads _ _ _ P _ E D, a second P may be the only letter that fits.
• -ED and -ER share their E. If an R arrives before the D, PLANTER is as good as PLANTED. Keep both in mind until one of them lands.

The highest-scoring -ED words

These forty score the most at any length. KAYAKED leads at 21 points, but most of the list leans on doubled B, K, and P, which the dice rarely deliver twice. Treat them as a ceiling, not a target.

The small number after each word is its WyldTyle score with no wild tiles. Letter values are on the scoring guide.

• KAYAKED21
• BLUBBED20
• BUBBLED20
• BUCKLED20
• KIBBLED20
• PLUCKED20
• YUKKED20
• BABBLED19
• BAULKED19
• BLABBED19
• BLACKED19
• BLIPPED19
• BLOBBED19
• BLOCKED19
• BOBBLED19
• BUMBLED19
• CHUCKED19
• CLUBBED19
• CLUCKED19
• DIVVIED19
• FLUBBED19
• KECKLED19
• KNACKED19
• KNAPPED19
• KNOBBED19
• KNOCKED19
• KNOPPED19
• PICKLED19
• PLOPPED19
• PLUMBED19
• PLUMPED19
• POPPIED19
• POPPLED19
• SKIPPED19
• SKULKED19
• UPDIVED19
• VOYAGED19
• YAKKED19
• BLUFFED18
• BRICKED18

-ED words by length

The best -ED words for each slot length, highest scoring first. Where a length has more than sixty, only the top sixty are shown; the count beside each heading is the full total. The four-letter list is short enough to show in full, and it is worth a look: AGED, ICED, USED, and OWED all finish a four-letter slot using only one consonant.

-ED, -ER, or -ING?

In the seven-letter slot, -ED, -ER, and -ING are all common, but they cost different things. -ED needs a D, and D is twice as common as G. -ER needs an R, which is more common again, and both its letters are worth only 1 point. -ING is worth the most but needs the rarest letter. As a rule, build toward the ending whose last letter you already hold, and if you hold none of them, an E in the second-to-last square keeps -ED and -ER open together. The -ER list and the -ING list cover the other two, and the word endings guide compares every common ending at each length.