Words Ending in P

Words Ending in P: Snaps, Stops, and Sharp Sounds

Say a few P-ending words out loud — SNAP, STOP, DROP, CLAP, GRIP — and you'll notice they all have a percussive, clipped feel. That's because P is a plosive consonant: your lips seal shut, air pressure builds, then releases in a burst. This makes -P endings naturally punchy and memorable, which is why so many everyday action words end this way. English has over a thousand of them, spanning every length from two-letter UP to 15-letter compounds.

In Scrabble, P is worth 3 points and there are two P tiles in the bag. The best -P plays tend to be short and punchy: STAMP (10 points), EQUIP (16 points), POLYP (12 points). For crosswords, -P endings give constructors tight, clean fill options. ATOP, PROP, and RECAP are workhorses that fit small corners. One underrated fact: many -P words have no related -PED or -PING form, making them stand-alone entries rather than conjugations. TULIP, TURNIP, SYRUP — these are base nouns, not verb derivatives. Tip for players: when your rack has a P and short common letters, think -AP, -OP, -IP endings first. Also look at words starting with T for high-frequency overlap with P-endings (TRAP, TRIP, TULIP), or scan words starting with C for CLAP, CRISP, CUP patterns.

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