3 Letter Words That Start With P

73 words in this list, every one checked against the YAWL dictionary.

Tap any word to copy it.

3 Letter Words 73

Which of these words score the most in Scrabble?

The highest scoring words from this list, ranked by Scrabble letter values.

Browse Words by First Letter

Word Finders by Length

Holding a rack rather than browsing? Most games are won at four, six, and seven tiles, so start with the 4 Letter Word Finder, the 6 Letter Word Finder, or the 7 Letter Word Finder, then pick any other length below.

This page holds all 73 three letter words that start with P, one of the busier openings at this short length and a reliable source of plays when your rack is jammed with awkward tiles. The words run from everyday picks like PIG, PEN, and POT to the point heavy PYX at the far end. Enter your letters in the finder above and only the plays you can actually make stay on screen.

A deep list to scan

P is a crowded opener at three letters, so there is plenty to work with. A recognizable group clusters by the middle vowel. The PA words give you PAD, PAL, PAN, PAR, PAT, PAW, and PAY. The PE words add PEA, PEG, PEN, PET, and PEW. The PI words bring PIE, PIG, PIN, and PIT, and the PO and PU words round it out with POD, POP, POT, PUB, PUG, PUN, PUP, and PUT. Scan those groups first and you will have covered most of the common list before you reach anything unusual.

Where the points sit

The P tile is worth three points on its own, so a strong short play leans on the letters it keeps company with. PYX tops this list at 15, carrying both a Y and an X over a single vowel. PAX, PIX, and POX each land at 12 thanks to the X, and PAH, PAW, PAY, PEH, and PEW all reach 8. When a double or triple letter square opens up next to a spare vowel, one of these tiny words can move the score more than a longer play ever would.

Short words in Scrabble

Three letter words are prized in tile games for a reason. They use up clumsy racks, they open fresh lines of play, and they hook cleanly onto letters already on the board. A word like PIN can grow into a longer play by adding a front or back tile without spending a fresh turn, and PET, PEG, and POD all sit tight in cramped corners where nothing longer fits. Keeping a few rare short plays in mind, PYX and PHI among them, means an X, a Y, or a lone consonant never has to sit dead on your rack. Learn the compact three letter list and the parallel plays it unlocks, and even a poor draw stays productive.

How the count is made

Every figure on this page, the total and each score, is recomputed from a single pinned dictionary on each build, the same file the finder reads, so the count and the filtered results can never disagree. If a total looks smaller than a rival site, that is the honest YAWL figure, and the dictionary page explains the source list, its license, and its full tables. To rearrange a full rack instead of browsing, hand your letters to the three letter word finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many three letter words start with P?
There are 73 three letter words that start with P in this list, a slice of the 1,255 three letter words in YAWL overall. Each count is computed from that dictionary when the site is built, so the totals here and the results the finder returns always agree.
Which three letter P words are good in word games?
Everyday picks like PIG, PEN, PAY, and POT are safe to play anywhere and read cleanly to opponents. Short hooks such as PAL, PIN, PUB, and PEG slot into tight spots on a crowded board, while oddities like PYX and PHI let you unload rare tiles when nothing longer will fit.
What three letter P word scores the most in Scrabble?
PYX leads at 15 points, carrying both a Y and an X over the low value vowel. PAX, PIX, and POX each reach 12 with the X, and PAH, PAW, PAY, PEH, and PEW all make 8. These are the plays to reach for when a premium square lines up and you need a short, high value drop.
Why is a word I expected not on this list?
Pages here are built from YAWL, a public domain word list made for games, which leaves out proper nouns, abbreviations, and hyphenated forms. Names and initials that start with P will not appear as a result. The [dictionary page](/dictionary/) records the exact list, its license, and its counts so you can check any word yourself.