Words Ending in I — A World Tour in One Letter
Pull up the list of I-ending words and you're looking at a global vocabulary map. TSUNAMI is Japanese. BROCCOLI is Italian. ALKALI is Arabic. SALAMI is also Italian. RABBI is Hebrew. TAXI comes from French (via Latin). CHAI is Hindi. SAFARI is Swahili. With over 850 entries, this is one of the largest "unusual ending" groups, and nearly every word in it traces back to a language where -I is a natural word ending. English borrowed these words wholesale, accent and all. One pattern worth knowing: many I-enders are scientific or medical Latin plurals. CACTI is the plural of CACTUS, FUNGI of FUNGUS, NUCLEI of NUCLEUS, ALUMNI of ALUMNUS. If a crossword clue says "more than one" of a Latin-root word, try swapping the -US for -I.
For Scrabble and Words With Friends, the two-letter I-enders are gold: AI, BI, GI, HI, KI, LI, OI, PI, QI, SI, TI, and XI. That's twelve valid two-letter words, making I one of the most flexible ending letters for parallel plays. QI alone is worth 11 base points and changed competitive Scrabble when it was added to the dictionary. Beyond two-letter words, AALII (a Hawaiian shrub) is a great rack-cleaner when you're drowning in vowels — it uses three I tiles and two A tiles. ADZUKI, BIKINI, and JACUZZI all deploy high-value consonants effectively. Check words ending in A for the same loanword-heavy feel, words starting with K for borrowed words like KIMCHI and KOLHOZI, and words ending in O for Italian and Spanish musical terms that pair naturally with I-enders in crossword grids.
FAQ
Are Latin plurals like CACTI and FUNGI valid in word games?
Yes. Both CACTI and FUNGI are accepted in Scrabble (TWL and SOWPODS) and Words With Friends. So are NUCLEI, ALUMNI, STIMULI, OCTOPI, and FOCI. However, note that OCTOPI is sometimes debated since OCTOPUS has Greek roots, not Latin — the technically correct Greek plural would be OCTOPODES. For more Latin-origin word patterns, see words ending in C where suffixes like -IC come directly from Latin and Greek.
What I-ending words work best for Wordle?
Wordle accepts five-letter words, so look at options like FUNGI, AALII, NAEVI, RADII, and TEMPI. These aren't common Wordle answers, but they can appear. A better use of I-knowledge in Wordle is ruling out endings — if your guess shows I in the fifth position, you've narrowed the answer pool dramatically. For five-letter starting strategies, see words starting with S, the most common first letter in Wordle answers.
How many two-letter words end in I?
Twelve: AI, BI, GI, HI, KI, LI, OI, PI, QI, SI, TI, and XI. That's the highest count for any single ending letter in two-letter words, making I incredibly versatile for tight-board plays in Scrabble. QI is the highest-scoring at 11 points, while XI scores 9. For comparison, words ending in A also has a strong set of two-letter words.
Two-Letter Words (12)
Three-Letter Words (19)
Four-Letter Words (93)
Five-Letter Words (153)
and 53 more — use the solver above to search
Six-Letter Words (156)
and 56 more — use the solver above to search
Seven-Letter Words (151)
and 51 more — use the solver above to search
Eight-Letter Words (114)
and 14 more — use the solver above to search