Menu
Find words

3-letter words starting with P

3-letter words starting with P number 76, including familiar plays like PUT, PAY, PET and PIN.

76 wordsTop pick PUTHighest score PYX 15

47 of 76 are everyday words (62%). A friendly list: most players will know the top picks.

A starts the most 3-letter words (93); X starts the fewest (2). P ranks #3 of 26. The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

Common words 47 · most-used first

All valid words 76

A to Z. Includes rare and Collins-only words. Linked tiles open the word's meaning, score and rhymes.

Letters by positionIn 20% of these words the 2nd letter is A.
2nd letter
  1. A20%
  2. O17%
  3. E16%
3rd letter
  1. T9%
  2. N7%
  3. P7%

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
Score spreadMost of these words score 5 in Scrabble; PYX tops the list with 15. Scores before board bonuses.
  1. 55 points: 34 words
  2. 6 points: 7 words
  3. 77 points: 11 words
  4. 8 points: 18 words
  5. 99 points: 1 words
  6. 10 points: 0 words
  7. 1111 points: 0 words
  8. 12 points: 3 words
  9. 1313 points: 0 words
  10. 14 points: 1 words
  11. 1515 points: 1 words
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
PYX1515All three
POZ1415Collins only
PAX1213All three
POX1213All three
PIX1213All three
PAK910NWL only
PAY88All three
PHI88All three
PAW89All three
POW89All three
PEW89All three
PLY89All three

P gives you plenty of short options, but the 76-word set mixes everyday choices with less familiar tournament entries. Forty-seven words are common in English, and PUT, PAY and PEN are easy to recognize on a rack. For a quick move, scan for a familiar word first, then check whether a rarer combination earns more.

What stands out among 3-letter words starting with P

  • There are 76 tournament-dictionary words here; 47 rank among common English words.
  • PUT, PER, PAY, PRE and PRO lead the examples.
  • PYX scores 15 points, ahead of POZ at 14.
  • PUT, PAY, PET and PEN are recognizable options for everyday play.
  • The list includes 62 ENABLE words, 68 NWL2023 words and 74 Collins words.

Which P words score highest?

PYX is the top scorer at 15 points, while POZ follows at 14. PAX, POX and PIX each score 12, so a rare X can turn a short play into a strong one. The average score across the set is 6.7.

For a less specialized option, PAY scores 8, as do PHI, PAW and POW. Keep the board in mind: a premium square can change a play's value, but a high face-value word is not automatically the best move if it opens a scoring lane for your opponent.

How to use 3-letter words starting with P

Start with the common choices when you need a fast fit: PUT, POT, PAN, PEN, PIN and PIT cover familiar patterns. Then check the less obvious entries, such as PAC, POS or PYX, against your game's word list before committing. Dictionary coverage differs: Collins accepts 74 entries, compared with 68 in NWL2023.

P has 76 three-letter starts, fewer than the 93 that begin with A and the 90 that begin with S. That makes P a solid set to learn, but not the broadest short-word family. Short plays are most valuable when they use awkward tiles or preserve a strong rack for your next turn.

Questions people ask

How many 3-letter words start with P?
There are 76 three-letter words starting with P across the tournament dictionaries counted here. Familiar examples include PUT, PAY, PET and PIN. Dictionary coverage varies, so check your game's word list when a less familiar entry matters.
What is the highest-scoring 3-letter P word?
PYX is the highest-scoring entry at 15 points. POZ is next at 14, while PAX, POX and PIX each score 12. These are face-value scores; board premiums can change the total you earn in a game.
Are all 76 P words accepted in every game?
No, the dictionary counts differ. Collins includes 74 entries, NWL2023 includes 68, and ENABLE includes 62. A word accepted in one list may not be valid in another, so verify unfamiliar plays against the dictionary used by your game.

Keep going