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3-letter words with V as the 2nd letter

Eight three-letter words have V as the second letter, and every one starts with a vowel.

8 wordsTop pick EVEHighest score IVY 9

7 of 8 are everyday words (88%). A friendly list: most players will know the top picks.

A is the most common 2nd letter in 3-letter words (261 words); J is the rarest (2). The bar under each letter shows the size of its list.

Best words to play first 8 · most-used first

All valid words 8

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

Highest-scoring words

Scrabble and Words With Friends points, before board bonuses
WordScrabbleWords With FriendsDictionaries
IVY99All three
EVE67All three
AVE67All three
AVA67All three
EVO67Collins only
OVA67All three
UVA68Collins only
AVO67All three

Only J, on two words, is rarer in that slot at this length. Five of the eight begin AV- or EV-, and every one runs vowel-V-vowel, which is why seven of them tie on exactly 6 points. ivy, at 9, is the single entry that breaks the pattern.

V in the middle, at a glance

  • 8 three-letter words put V second; only the J slot, on 2 words, is rarer.
  • All 8 open with a vowel and 7 also end in one.
  • AVA, AVE and AVO share the AV- opening, the only pair that repeats.
  • Seven words tie on 6 points, and IVY alone reaches 9.
  • EVO and UVA sit in Collins only; the other six play in NWL2023 too.

Why V only ever sits between vowels

Every word here puts a vowel on each side of the V. That is not a rule of English so much as a consequence of length: with only three tiles, a V needs its neighbours to make a pronounceable word, so ava, ave, evo, ova and uva all follow the same frame.

The list divides neatly from there. AV- covers three words, EV- two, and IV-, OV- and UV- one each, which leaves ivy as the only word in the group that does not end on a vowel letter.

One flat tie and one exception

Seven of the eight score exactly 6, because V pays four and the flanking vowels pay one each. ivy is the exception: its Y adds four more, lifting it to 9 and making it the best play in the group.

Dictionary cover is broad for such a short list. Collins holds all eight, NWL2023 takes six and ENABLE six as well, so evo and uva are the only two that force a Collins-only rack. The average sits at 6.4, level with the three-letter norm.

Take the AV- frame first

Tip

ava, ave and avo repeat the same frame, so the three-letter words with V second take a minute to learn together. ivy is the only one worth chasing for points.

Questions people ask

How many three-letter words have V as the second letter?
Eight. Only J, on two words, fills the middle slot less often at this length, and all eight begin with a vowel. Seven of them tie on 6 points.
Which three-letter word with V second scores highest?
ivy, on 9 points, because its Y adds four to the four from the V. The other seven, ava, ave, avo, eve, evo, ova and uva, all tie on exactly 6.
Are three-letter V-second words in every tournament dictionary?
No. Collins holds all eight, but NWL2023 and ENABLE take six each, so evo and uva are Collins-only words that will not play in North American or ENABLE games.

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