4 Letter Words That Start With L

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

Tap any word to copy it.

4 Letter Words 270

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 270 four letter words that start with L, one of the busier first letter lists at this length and a reliable place to look when an L is anchored at the front of your rack. The words run from everyday picks like LAND, LAMP, and LAST to the point heavy LAZY at the far end. Enter your tiles in the filter above and only the plays you can actually make stay on screen.

Working through the list

L is a steady opener at four letters, and grouping the words by their second letter makes the list quick to scan. The LA words alone give you a big cluster, LAND, LAMB, LAMP, LASH, LAST, LATH, and LAIR among them. The LE group adds LEAD, LEAK, LEAN, LEND, and LENS, while LI covers LIAR, LICK, LIFT, LIME, and LISP. Round it out with the LO words such as LOAD, LOCK, and LODE and you have covered a good part of the page before you reach anything unusual.

Opening a Wordle grid with L

When a green L lands in the first slot, this is the page to browse. LAND, LAST, LEAD, and LOAD give you common follow up letters, while LEAN, LIME, and LOCK push into different vowel and consonant territory for a second guess. LIAR is a favorite when you want to test three vowels early, and LISP works well once you have ruled out the usual suspects. Filter by anything you have already confirmed and the candidates shrink to a readable handful.

Where the points sit

The L tile is worth one point, so the score depends on the company it keeps. LAZY tops the list at 16, carrying a Z over the low value letters, with LYNX right behind at 14. LAZE and LUTZ each reach 13, LAKH makes 11, and LACK, LEVY, and LICK each land at 10. These are the words to reach for when a triple square is open and you want an L play that pays off rather than just filling a slot.

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 whole rack instead of browsing, hand your letters to the four letter word finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many four letter words start with L?
There are 270 four letter words that start with L in this list, one slice of the 5,249 four 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.
Which four letter L words help in Wordle?
For an opener, LAND, LAST, LEAD, and LOAD cover common letters, while LEAN, LIME, and LOCK test different vowel and consonant slots. If you already have letters placed, filter this list by them and only the words still possible stay on screen.
What four letter L word scores the most in Scrabble?
LAZY leads at 16 points, with LYNX at 14 and both LAZE and LUTZ at 13. LAKH reaches 11, and LACK, LEVY, and LICK each make 10. These are the plays to keep in mind when a bonus square is open and you want an L word that actually moves the score.
Why is an L word I expected not on this list?
Pages here are built from YAWL, a public domain list made for word games, which leaves out proper nouns, abbreviations, and hyphenated forms. Place and brand names that start with L will not show up as a result. The [dictionary page](/dictionary/) records the exact list, its license, and its counts so you can check any word yourself.