Words Ending in ET

ET Endings: From Sonnets toOckets

The -ET ending is one of English's most productive diminutive suffixes. BOOKLET is a small book, PIGLET a small pig, DROPLET a small drop. This pattern — base word plus -LET or -ET — generates hundreds of words, and crossword constructors rely on them constantly for fill. The 6-letter sweet spot (BASKET, BONNET, BUCKET, CLOSET, GADGET, JACKET, POCKET, RACKET, SECRET, SOCKET, SUNSET, TABLET, TICKET, TOILET) accounts for almost a third of all ET-ending words. If you're solving and the answer is six letters ending in ET, you have strong odds.

Not every ET word follows the diminutive pattern, though. ABET, BET, GET, MET, SET, WET — these are core English verbs with Germanic roots, no suffix involved. And then there's the French layer: BALLET, BOUQUET, BUFFET, CADET, CHALET, CORNET, CROCHET, DUET, GOURMET, PARQUET, SONNET, VALET. These French borrowings often carry silent or softened final T sounds in speech, which is why BUFFET and BALLET don't rhyme with WET. For word game players, the variety means the ET ending works across virtually every category of crossword clue.

Scrabble strategy: APPLET and ANKLET are strong plays at 8 and 10 points respectively, using common tiles. Explore words ending in TION for another suffix-heavy group, words ending in W for an uncommon contrast, and words starting with A for ABET, AGLET, and other openers.

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