VU Words: Vulgar Origins and Volcanic Geology
The VU- opening splits neatly into two families. First, there's VUG and its relatives — VUG, VUGG, VUGH, VUGS, VUGGY. These are geology terms for a small cavity in rock, often lined with crystals. Miners and geologists use them daily; everyone else has never heard of them. Then there's the VULGAR family, which dominates the rest of the VU- list: VULGAR, VULGATE, VULNERABLE, VULPINE, VULTURE. VULGAR originally just meant "common" or "of the people" in Latin (the Vulgate Bible was the "people's Bible"), and its negative connotation developed later in English.
For Scrabble players, the VUG family is pure gold. VUG scores 7 points for three tiles, and most opponents won't know to challenge it. VUGGY (a geology adjective meaning "full of vugs") scores 12 points and uses the Y tile effectively. V is worth 4 points in Scrabble with only 2 tiles in the bag, so finding short V words matters. VULTURE and VULPINE (fox-like) are longer plays for when you have cooperative tiles on your rack.
Crossword solvers should remember VULPINE — it appears in puzzles far more than you'd expect, usually clued as "fox-like" or "crafty." And if you see V-U-L in a grid, VULTURE is almost always the answer for bird-of-prey clues. For more geology vocabulary, check words ending in G where VUG itself lives. The broader words starting with V page covers the full V family, and words ending in OR picks up Latin-origin words similar to the VULGAR lineage.
FAQ
What is a VUG and why do word game players care about it?
A vug is a small unfilled cavity in rock, often lined with mineral crystals. Word game players care because VUG, VUGG, and VUGH are all valid Scrabble words that score well for their length (7-12 points for 3-4 tiles). The variant spellings give you flexibility depending on what letters you're holding. For other short, obscure plays, see words starting with XU.
Is VULPINE a common crossword answer?
Yes, VULPINE appears regularly in crossword puzzles, almost always clued as "fox-like," "cunning," or "crafty." It comes from Latin vulpinus (of the fox). At 7 letters, it fits neatly into standard grid sizes. For other animal-derived adjectives that show up in crosswords, browse words starting with G for entries like GNATHIC and GALLINE.