Words Ending in O — Music, Food, and Everything In Between
Open the O-ending word list and you'll find two of life's great pleasures on nearly every line: music and food. PIANO, SOPRANO, ALTO, CRESCENDO, FORTISSIMO, STACCATO, and VIBRATO all come from Italian musical terminology. BURRITO, TACO, AVOCADO, TOMATO, and POTATO arrived from Spanish (via Nahuatl, in most cases). RISOTTO, ESPRESSO, CAPPUCCINO, and GELATO are Italian food words. With over 1,100 entries, this is one of the richest ending groups for borrowed vocabulary. Here's a fact that catches people off guard: the plural of many O-ending words is genuinely contentious. Is it TOMATOES or TOMATOS? VOLCANOES or VOLCANOS? HEROES or HEROS? English never fully decided, which is why most O-enders accept both -S and -ES plurals in word games — and knowing this gives you flexibility your opponents might not have.
In Scrabble, the short O-enders pack a punch. ADO (4 points), AGO (4), EGO (4), and TWO (6) are staple three-letter plays. ZOO deploys the Z tile for 12 points. AMMO, DEMO, MEMO, and ZERO are all solid four-letter options. For crossword puzzles, O-ending words are constructor favorites because O crosses smoothly with consonants in both directions. A crossword tip: when you see a four-letter slot ending in O with a musical or Italian clue, try ALTO, OBOE (wait — that ends in E), TRIO, or SOLO first. Browse words ending in A for the other big vowel-ending group, and words ending in I for more Italian and Latin loanwords. Words starting with A feeds dozens of O-enders like ACCELERANDO, ADAGIO, and AVOCADO.
FAQ
Do O-ending words take -S or -ES for plurals?
Most accept both in word game dictionaries. TOMATO becomes TOMATOES or TOMATOS, HERO becomes HEROES or HEROS. The general English convention is -ES after a consonant + O (POTATOES, ECHOES) and -S after a vowel + O (RADIOS, ZOOS), but word games are more lenient than style guides. For more on tricky plurals, see words ending in U where French-origin words like ADIEU take both -S and -X plurals.
What O-ending words appear most often in crosswords?
ALTO, TRIO, SOLO, ECHO, ZERO, MEMO, DEMO, and RATIO are crossword staples because they're short, common, and cross well. Musical terms like TEMPO and PIANO appear frequently too. Constructors love O-endings because the vowel creates clean intersections. For more crossword-friendly endings, explore words ending in A and words ending in H.
Are there useful two-letter words ending in O?
Yes — quite a few. BO, DO, GO, HO, JO, LO, MO, NO, SO, TO, WO, and YO are all valid in Scrabble. That's twelve two-letter options, tying O with I for the most two-letter words of any ending letter. JO (a Scottish term of endearment) is worth 9 points, making it the highest-scoring of the bunch.
Two-Letter Words (12)
Three-Letter Words (34)
Four-Letter Words (140)
and 40 more — use the solver above to search
Five-Letter Words (239)
and 139 more — use the solver above to search
Six-Letter Words (205)
and 105 more — use the solver above to search
Seven-Letter Words (180)
and 80 more — use the solver above to search
Eight-Letter Words (156)
and 56 more — use the solver above to search