5 Letter Words Ends with F

Letters in the open positions

Looking at the fourth letter, “F” (50, 44.6%), “I” (14, 12.5%), “O” (11, 9.8%), “E” (9, 8%) appear most often. This measures the character immediately before the final letter, rather than the word's first internal letter. Percentages use all 112 matching words as the denominator.

F is an unusual ending, and most of these words finish with a doubled FF or an IEF pattern, as in STAFF, STUFF and CHIEF. This page gathers the most useful examples and explains the spelling patterns behind them, so you can narrow down a puzzle quickly. A little pattern spotting goes a long way here.

Spelling Patterns You Will See

Most words in this group follow one of a few spelling patterns. The FF ending gives STAFF, STUFF and CLIFF, the EF ending gives CHIEF, BRIEF and GRIEF and the OF ending gives PROOF and SPOOF.

Useful five-letter words

Start with STUFF, CHIEF, STAFF, PROOF and BRIEF. Each one is common enough to appear in everyday writing, which makes it a safe test. CLIFF, GRIEF and SHELF are worth keeping in reserve.

• STUFF
• CHIEF
• STAFF
• PROOF
• BRIEF

A Smart Way to Use the Last Letter

If you suspect a final F, test a second F in the fourth box first, since the doubled F is behind so many of these words. If that fails, try I, as in the IEF group. Once the last box is green, spend your next guesses on the first and second boxes, where there is more room for variation.

F in Scrabble and Other Word Games

In Scrabble, F is worth four points, so it is a valuable tile, and placing it on a premium square can make a real difference. Many players keep a few F words in mind, such as STUFF, CHIEF and STAFF, so they can use the tile quickly when it arrives.

Common starting letters in words ending in F

The most frequent starting letter is S, appearing in 36 words (32.1%). This shows how the words sharing the F ending are distributed across different beginnings.