Words Ending in GO
GO as a word ending brings a playful, rhythmic quality to English. BINGO, FLAMINGO, MANGO, TANGO, LINGO, DINGO -- say them out loud and you can almost hear the music. Most GO-ending words have Spanish, Portuguese, or Italian origins, which explains their lively sound. CARGO and EMBARGO are the practical ones, rooted in shipping and trade. ERGO ("therefore") comes straight from Latin and appears in crosswords constantly.
Scrabble players should note that GO words tend to be 5-6 letters, a sweet spot for mid-game plays. BINGO at 8 points, DINGO at 7, TANGO at 6 -- these won't win tournaments alone, but they're reliable plays when you need to clear vowels off your rack. VIRAGO (a domineering woman) scores 10 points and impresses your opponents with vocabulary. For crossword strategy, ERGO is the must-know: it fills a 4-letter slot and crosses easily with common letters. AGO at 3 letters is even more fundamental. Check words ending in N for words like BINGON where GO words can extend. Browse words starting with H for HIDALGO, and see words ending in U for similar vowel-heavy endings from Romance languages.
FAQ
What's the connection between BINGO and the word game?
BINGO the game was originally called "beano" (players used beans as markers). A toy salesman named Edwin Lowe heard a winner accidentally shout "bingo" instead of "beano" in 1929, and the name stuck. The word itself may come from the exclamation "by jingo." For more game-related words, check words starting with UN for UNDO and other move-reversal terms.
Are there any GO words with high Scrabble value?
VERTIGO scores 11 points, GAZPACHO-style words aren't quite GO-enders, but VIRAGO at 10 points is solid. The key with GO words is their vowel distribution -- they help dump O's and I's that otherwise clog your rack. See words ending in AH and words ending in FE for other vowel-clearing endings.