4-letter words starting with H

H is worth 4 points, which lifts every word in this group before the other tiles count. The average is 9.1 points. Vowels fill nearly every second slot, so the choice of vowel after the H is the quickest way to narrow the list.

Four-letter H words at a glance

• 259 words start with H: Collins lists 255, NWL2023 lists 200 and ENABLE lists 189.
• 97 of them are common, meaning they rank in the top 25,000 English words.
• HIZZ leads at 25 points, then HAJJ at 21 and HAZY at 19.
• S ends 50 of the words, ahead of E with 33 and T with 22.
• The average word scores 9.1 points.

Which vowel follows the H most often?

A and O are almost level: 69 words have an A in second place and 68 have an O. E follows with 46, then U with 34 and I with 28. Y adds 11 more, and W and M account for the last 3.

So HA and HO words together cover 137 of the 259, a little over half. Start your search with those two vowels, and try HE next. The remaining vowels trail E by a clear margin, which keeps the sweep short.

Why do so many H words end in S?

50 of the 259 words end in S, which is nearly one in five. Plurals and verb forms drive that number, and the pull of the final S is strong enough to put it well ahead of E with 33. Spotting that early saves a lot of guesswork when you hold a spare S.

If the S is your last tile, check it against the H list before spending a turn. For the rest, T ends 22 words and D ends 19, with words such as HEAT, HOST, HOLD and HAND.

Which H words score the most?

HIZZ scores 25 and HAJJ scores 21, but both are specialist spellings. HAZY at 19 and HAZE at 16 are the two everyday words, and each gets its points from a 10-point Z. HAWK and HOAX score 14 apiece, from a 5-point K and an 8-point X.

The Collins count of 255 is well ahead of NWL2023 at 200 and ENABLE at 189, so words like HADJ and HAJI may not play in a North American game. Check your game's word list first.

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