Words Ending in OH — The Tiniest Ending Group You'll Ever Study
Eight words. That's the entire OH-ending list: FOH, MATZOH, NOH, OH, OOH, PHARAOH, POH, and POOH. You can memorize them all before you finish reading this paragraph. What makes this micro-group interesting is the sheer variety packed into so few entries. PHARAOH is ancient Egyptian royalty — and it's the only common English word where the PH makes an "F" sound AND the word ends in OH rather than the expected -AO or -AOH. NOH (also spelled NO) is a form of Japanese theater dating back to the 14th century. OOH and POOH are onomatopoeia — sounds turned into words. MATZOH is a variant spelling of MATZO, the unleavened bread eaten during Passover. FOH and POH are interjections.
For word games, the real value here is scarcity itself. When you know that only eight words end in OH, you can quickly confirm or eliminate OH endings in crossword puzzles. If the grid forces an OH ending, your answer is one of these eight — period. That kind of certainty is rare and powerful in crossword solving. In Scrabble, OH itself is worth 5 points and is a handy two-letter play. OOH scores 6 points. PHARAOH is the prestige play at 15 points across seven letters. Tip: POOH can be extended to POOHED or POOHING, which opponents rarely expect. This page pairs naturally with words ending in H for the full H-ending picture. For other tiny ending groups that reward memorization, see words ending in Q (three words), words ending in J (seven words), and words ending in V (twenty-one words).
FAQ
Is MATZOH the same as MATZO?
Yes. MATZOH and MATZO are variant spellings of the same word — the unleavened bread central to the Jewish Passover celebration. Both spellings are valid in Scrabble and Words With Friends. MATZOH scores 21 points (thanks to the Z), making it the second-highest-scoring word in this tiny group after PHARAOH. For more variant-spelling plays that use the Z tile, see words ending in ZA and words ending in Z.
Can POOH be extended in Scrabble?
Yes. POOH can become POOHED (past tense) and POOHING (present participle), and both are valid. POOHED scores 12 base points and POOHING scores 13. These extensions are rarely challenged because opponents don't expect them. OOH can similarly become OOHED and OOHING. For more on -ING extensions, see words ending in G where the massive -ING suffix group is covered in detail.
Why does PHARAOH end in OH instead of just O?
PHARAOH's spelling comes from the Hebrew PAROH, which passed through Greek (PHARAO) and Latin before reaching English. The final H was added during English transliteration to reflect the original Hebrew pronunciation more closely. It's one of English's oddest spellings — an Egyptian title filtered through three other languages. For other words with unusual letter patterns at the end, explore words ending in H where silent and surprising H endings abound.