Words Ending in R

R at the Finish: English's Most Common Consonant Ending

R is the most frequent final consonant in English words, and it's not particularly close. The -ER suffix alone accounts for thousands of entries, but R also closes out words ending in -AR (SOLAR, GUITAR), -OR (MOTOR, DOCTOR), -IR (ELIXIR, STIR), and -UR (OCCUR, BLUR). This variety makes R endings incredibly useful in every word game. In crosswords, an R in the last square of an across word gives you maximum flexibility for the down crossing — almost every consonant and vowel can precede it.

Scrabble players should note that R is worth just 1 point, so the value of -R words comes from length and letter combinations rather than the R tile itself. The real power is in extensions: PLAY becomes PLAYER, HUNT becomes HUNTER, SING becomes SINGER. Stacking an -ER or -OR onto an existing board word is one of the most common scoring moves in competitive play.

A phonetic curiosity: in non-rhotic English dialects (British RP, Australian, Boston), the final R is often silent — "motor" sounds like "motah." But in American, Irish, and Scottish English, that R is always pronounced. This rarely affects spelling in word games, but it explains why some crossword clues play on the rhyme differently depending on the constructor's dialect. For related endings, explore words ending in LY, words ending in QUE, and words ending in AH. High-value tile fans should check words starting with Z.

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