5-letter words ending in Z

A final Z is expensive in the best way: the 10-point tile gives the group an average score of 19.5. Nine of the 33 words end in a double Z, which is unusual in English. Only three of the 33 are common, so most come from specialist or foreign vocabulary, and the lists disagree on many of them.

The Z-enders at a glance

• 33 words: Collins accepts 31, NWL2023 accepts 25 and ENABLE accepts 18.
• 4 were Wordle answers: BLITZ, FRITZ, WALTZ and TOPAZ.
• 3 are common: BLITZ, FRITZ and WALTZ.
• PZAZZ scores 34, and the average across the group is 19.5.
• S opens 6 words, W opens 4, and A, G and P open 3 each.

Why do nine of them end in ZZ?

The double Z is the biggest pattern. Nine words end in -ZZ, such as WHIZZ, FRIZZ, ABUZZ, SCUZZ and PZAZZ, and five of the 33 end in -IZZ. Each double Z is worth 20 points before the other three tiles count.

That is why the top scores cluster there: PZAZZ at 34, WHIZZ at 29 and FRIZZ at 26.

What about the -TZ words?

-ITZ holds 4 words, including BLITZ, GLITZ and FRITZ. -RTZ holds 3 and -LTZ holds 2, among them HERTZ and WALTZ. BLITZ, WALTZ, FRITZ, GLITZ and HERTZ are accepted in Collins, NWL2023 and ENABLE alike.

TOPAZ, the fourth Wordle answer, stands alone with an AZ ending.

Which Z words appear in Wordle?

Four answers: BLITZ, FRITZ, WALTZ and TOPAZ, which is about 12 percent of the 33. A guess of BLITZ tests B, L, I, T and Z at once, so it doubles as a rare-letter probe.

Of the 33, 32 are allowed guesses, so the game rarely rejects a Z probe. TOPAZ is the option that tests two vowels, O and A, alongside the Z.

What are the limits?

Collins lists 31 words, NWL2023 lists 25 and ENABLE lists 18. PZAZZ is accepted in NWL2023 and Collins but not in ENABLE, and CHIZZ in Collins alone, so check your game's word list before staking a turn on a double-Z spelling.

BLITZ scores 16 and WALTZ scores 17, so the safe plays hold up well. The risky spellings add 10 or more points, but only if the dictionary agrees.

A balanced approach is to keep a Z for the four Wordle answers and treat PZAZZ as a bonus when the game allows it. The gap between 17 and 34 is large enough to decide a close match, which is the only reason to take the risk.