Words Ending in D

The D Ending: English's Workhorse Suffix

Words ending in D form the backbone of written English. Every regular past tense verb — walked, talked, played — ends here, which is why D ranks among the most common final letters in the language. But not every D-ending word is a past tense. You've got nouns like BREAD and DIAMOND, adjectives like BOLD and SACRED, and standalone words like AMID and BEYOND. The sheer range matters for crossword solvers: when you see a clue in past tense, try a D ending first, but don't lock in on that assumption. Roughly 40% of D-ending words in English aren't verbs at all.

Here's something crossword constructors know: D-ending words dominate the 7-to-9 letter range. That's because adding -ED to a 5-to-7 letter base verb creates the sweet spot for grid fill. Words like ABASHED, ABLATED, and ABJURED fit beautifully into standard 15x15 grids. For Scrabble players, the D tile is worth just 2 points, but it's one of the most flexible tiles in the bag — you can hook it onto almost any verb already on the board. Pairing D knowledge with words ending in N and words ending in L covers a huge chunk of possible crossword answers.

Strategy note: in Wordle, D is the fifth most common ending letter. If your first two guesses reveal no ending consonant, D is a strong third-guess anchor. Also keep words ending in A and words ending in C in mind for less common endings that shake up your approach.

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