Words With 3 or More Vowels
It is a truth universally acknowledged that in every game of Scrabble or Words With Friends, at least one player will get stuck with a hand of consonants with no vowels or, worse, vowels with no consonants. At least consonants can have high point value; just find one free vowel and you can score a two-letter word. The most valuable vowel in either game’s tile bag is worth a measly two points. Ugh. What to do? Don’t worry, WordFinder is here to help you think strategically about this.
5 Ways to Get Rid of 3 or More Vowels
Here are five ways to play words with three or more vowels (known as a vowel dump) along with some example words and tips on how to make the most of them.
1. Keep it short
One of the dangers of multiple-vowel words is length. The longer your word has to be to use all those unwelcome A and E tiles, the more chances your opponent gets to score points with your letters. Short words with several vowels score points for you and deny them to the opponent. That’s the aim of the game. These simple four-letter words will let you get rid of three vowels:
2. Think diphthongs
Breathe - this is good advice, especially if a tense game has you a little panicky, and an even better word to play. “Breathe” contains a word gamer’s best friend in vowel matters: the diphthong. A diphthong is two vowels working together as one. Diphthongs occur all over English, and they’re a perfect way to offload vowels. Other examples include:
3. Remember the silent E
Menage - the naughty implications of this French-origin word aside, “menage” just means household. More importantly, it has a silent E. The silent E at the end of many English words puts the language’s most used letter in the position most useful to word gamers, and it offloads a vowel in the process. Use them whenever you’ve got a good play in hand for the next turn. For example:
4. Play the QU combo
The QU combination is the power play for any word gamer with too many vowels. The highest-scoring consonant in the game almost always needs a vowel to play. If you’ve got it, it’s a perfect opportunity to dispose of some other vowels too. Examples of this power couple include:
5. Use word modifications
You can start off small and add on. For example, real only has two vowels. On the other hand, reality, realize, unreal and realizing all have at least three. That makes “real” a perfect example of how to get rid of pesky vowels through word modification. Start with the obvious, like adding “er” or “ing,” but also look for words that incorporate that small and simple starter and add prefixes and suffixes. For example:
Bear (bearer, bearing, overbear)
Plain (complain, plainest, explain)
Play (replayed, playmate, playable)
Work Those Vowel-Heavy Words
Word games are all about turning obstacles into opportunities. The next time you draw a hand full of Es, As and other low-value consonants, use these tricks and make them work for you.
Matt Salter has been a professional writer for over 10 years. He is a gaming and technology expert, and world-class word nerd.