4-letter words starting with V

Only five starting letters have fewer four-letter words than V. That makes the group compact enough to learn by heart. A vowel follows the V in 109 of the 115 entries, so the second tile does most of the sorting.

V words of four letters, in brief

• Total: 115, with Collins at 110, NWL2023 at 85 and ENABLE at 74.
• Common words: 33, measured against the top 25,000 English words.
• Top scorers: VAXX 21, VIZY 19 and VEXT 14.
• Closing letters: S finishes 26 words and E finishes 19.
• Average score: 8.1 points per word.

Why does a vowel almost always follow V?

109 of the 115 words have a vowel second. I leads with 36, then A with 30, E with 26, O with 12 and U with 5. Only 6 words break the rule, using R or L.

English rarely pairs V with another consonant. Once the V is down, a vowel is close to certain, so the real question is which one.

Each vowel has its own everyday set: I gives VICE, VINE, VIBE and VIEW, and A gives VAST, VARY, VASE and VANS. E gives VENT, VEIN, VEST and VERB, and O gives VOTE, VOID and VOWS. Knowing the four short lists covers most of what a board will throw at you.

How rare are four-letter V words?

V ranks 21st of the 26 starting letters. Only I, U, Z, Q and X open fewer four-letter words, while S opens 490 and T opens 356. A 4-point tile with so few partners rewards anyone who knows the list, because opponents who do not will be guessing.

Just 33 of the 115 are common, a little under three in ten. The rest include many obscure spellings that you will rarely meet outside a word-list. That is why a rack with a V and no clear plan is easier to fix by recalling the short lists above than by hoping for a long word.

Which V words score the most?

VAXX reaches 21 and VIZY reaches 19, though few players would risk either. VAMP scores 11. The everyday winners are VERY and VIEW, at 10 points each, because the 4-point V pairs with a 4-point Y or W.

Collins lists 110 of the 115, while NWL2023 lists 85 and ENABLE lists 74. Check your game's word list before staking a turn on VAXX or VIZY.

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