3 Letter Words That Start With V

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

Tap any word to copy it.

3 Letter Words 30

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 30 three letter words that start with V, one of the shorter first letter lists at this length and one of the most useful when a heavy V tile is clogging your rack. The words run from everyday picks like VAN, VAT, and VET to the point heavy VEX and VOX at the far end. Enter your tiles in the filter above and only the plays you can actually make stay on screen.

A short but handy list

V is a thin opener at three letters, which is exactly what makes this page fast to learn. A recognizable core covers most of the everyday sense: VAN and VAT name common objects, VET works as both a verb and a noun, VOW is a promise, VIA means by way of, and VIE means to compete. VIM adds the idea of lively energy, and VEG covers both a vegetable and the act of relaxing. Learn those first and you have the practical half of the list in hand.

The useful oddballs

The rest of the list earns its keep in tile games. VUG is a small cavity in a rock, VOE is a narrow coastal inlet, and VIG is short for the interest a bookmaker charges. VAR is a unit of electrical power, VAS is a vessel or duct in the body, and VEE simply spells out the letter V. Three of these openers, VAU, VAV, and VAW, are spellings of the same Hebrew letter, so a stray U or W tile still gives you a legal play. VIS means force, and VAC is a casual word for a vacuum cleaner.

Where the points sit

The V tile is worth four points on its own, so even a bare word carries weight. VEX and VOX top this list at 13 points each, both carrying an X across a short frame. VAV, VAW, and VOW follow at 9 points, VAC and VIM reach 8, and VEG, VIG, and VUG each land 7. When you are stuck with a V and little else, these are the words that turn a dead tile into a real score.

Short words in tile games

Three letter words are the quiet workhorses of Scrabble and similar tile games. They let you unload an awkward V without opening the board for an opponent, and they hook cleanly onto letters already down, so a trailing S can extend VAT and a fresh leading letter can grow VET into something longer. Because they are so compact, they are also the plays you can squeeze into a tight corner late in a game when nothing longer will fit. Keeping VOE, VUG, and VAV in memory means a rogue V rarely goes to waste.

How the count is made

Every number on this page is recomputed from a single pinned dictionary on each build, the same file the search tool 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 V?
There are 30 three letter words that start with V in this list, a narrow 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 total here and the results the filter returns always agree.
What are some common three letter words that start with V?
Everyday picks lead the way: VAN, VAT, VET, and VOW turn up in normal writing, while VIA and VIE are handy connectors. For tile games it pays to also know VUG, a small cavity in rock, and VOE, a narrow inlet, since both are valid and easy to overlook.
Which three letter V word scores the most in Scrabble?
VEX and VOX tie for the lead at 13 points each, both riding an X. After those, VAV, VAW, and VOW each make 9 points. The V tile is worth 4 on its own, so even a plain play like VAT already puts points on the board before you add anything.
Why is a V 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 like a city or a brand that start with V 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.