Words Ending in WO: Just Two, But Worth Knowing
The -WO ending is about as minimal as English gets: WO and TWO. That's the entire list. WO is an exclamation — an archaic variant of "whoa" used to command a horse to stop. TWO needs no introduction. What makes this pairing interesting is how it highlights English spelling irregularity. TWO is pronounced "too" — the W is completely silent, a remnant of Old English twa, where the W was once audible. Over centuries, the pronunciation drifted while the spelling fossilized. This same pattern shows up in SWORD, ANSWER, and WHO, where W went quiet but never left the page.
For word game purposes, WO scores 5 points in Scrabble (W=4, O=1) and is valid in both TWL and SOWPODS. It's a handy dump play when you're stuck with a W tile and need quick points. TWO scores 6 points — not flashy, but reliable. In crosswords, TWO appears constantly, often clued as a number, a pair, or with references to "tea for" (TWO). If your crossword grid forces a word ending in -WO, you're almost certainly looking at TWO, which simplifies solving considerably.
Since this is such a small word family, consider branching out. Words ending in W covers the much larger pool of W-final words like THROW, ALLOW, and SHADOW. For another tiny word family worth memorizing, see words ending in JO. And words starting with Q offers a different kind of constrained letter challenge where knowing the full list pays off.
FAQ
Is WO a valid Scrabble word?
Yes, WO is valid in both TWL and SOWPODS dictionaries. It's an exclamation used historically to stop horses, similar to "whoa." At 5 points for two tiles, it's a decent emergency play. For other two-letter words with the W tile, check words ending in W — WE, WO, and OW are all valid and useful.
Why is the W silent in TWO?
In Old English, TWO was spelled "twa" and the W sound was pronounced. Over several centuries, the /w/ sound dropped out of pronunciation before rounded vowels like /oo/, but English spelling had already been standardized by printing presses. The same process silenced W in SWORD, WHO, and ANSWER. For more on silent letters, explore words ending in H, where silent H endings abound.