6 Letter Words That Start With Y

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

Tap any word to copy it.

6 Letter Words 164

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 164 six letter words that start with Y, one of the shortest first letter lists at this length and one of the more rewarding when the puzzle hands you an awkward opener. The words range from everyday picks like YELLOW, YONDER, and YEOMAN to the point heavy YAKKED 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

Y is not a crowded opener at six letters, and that is exactly what makes this page quick to scan. A recognizable group clusters behind a few openings: YA words such as YACHTS, YAMMER, YANKED, and YARROW, YE words like YEARLY, YEARNS, YEASTS, and YELLOW, and the YI group with YIELDS and YIPPEE. Work through those clusters first and you will have covered a good part of the list before you reach anything unusual.

Playing a Y opener

When a puzzle locks a Y into the first square, this is the page to browse. YELLOW, YELLED, and YELPED give you common follow up letters, while YEOMAN, YEOMEN, and YEASTY push into different vowel and consonant territory for a second guess. YATTER, meaning to chatter, and YAWNER are favorites among players who like a full word with distinct letters. Filter by anything you have already confirmed and the candidates shrink to a readable handful.

Where the points sit

The Y tile is worth four points, so even a plain rack of vowels behind it starts with a head start. YAKKED, YANQUI, and YUKKED top the list at 18 points, each pairing the Y with a K or Q. YAKKER and YAPOCK reach 17, and a cluster fills the next rung with YACKED, YAFFED, YECCHS, and YOCKED at 16. These are the words to reach for when a triple square is open and you want a Y play that actually counts.

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 six letter word finder.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many six letter words start with Y?
There are 164 six letter words that start with Y in this list, a small slice of the 21,434 six letter words in YAWL overall. Each figure is computed from that dictionary when the site is built, so the total here and the results the filter returns always agree.
Are Y words useful in word games?
Y is an uncommon opener, and that scarcity is handy when a grid or puzzle forces the letter into the first slot. YELLOW, YONDER, and YEOMAN cover common follow up letters, while YACHTS, YIELDS, and YEASTY test trickier middles. Filter this list by any tiles you already hold to see only the plays still open to you.
What six letter Y word scores the most in Scrabble?
YAKKED, YANQUI, and YUKKED lead the group at 18 points each, stacking a K or Q against the low value vowels. YAKKER and YAPOCK follow at 17, and YACKED, YAFFED, YECCHS, and YOCKED each reach 16. These are the words to reach for when a bonus square is open and you want a Y play that moves the score.
Why is a Y 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 Yankee or Yemen 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.