Do you enjoy word games? They’re fun, but finding the right words can be tricky. This is especially true for five-letter words starting with W. We know how frustrating it can be when you’re stuck.
Good news! We’ve compiled a list of 243 five-letter words that begin with W. These words will help you win at Wordle, excel in Scrabble, or shine in any word game. Our list includes common and rare words to boost your vocabulary.
Ready to improve your word game skills? Please keep reading to explore our extensive collection of W words.
You’ll be amazed at how many new words you’ll learn!
243 Five-Letter Words Beginning With W
1. Wacky: Unconventional or crazy in an amusing way.
2. Waddy: A heavy stick or club used by Australian Aboriginals as a weapon.
3. Wader: A long-legged bird that wades in water to hunt for food; also refers to a person or an animal that walks through water.
4. Wafer: A thin, crisp biscuit or a small, flat disc used in religious ceremonies.
5. Wager: An act of betting money or something of value on an uncertain event.
6. Wages: Payments or earnings received by workers for their labor or services.
7. Wagon: A four-wheeled vehicle used for transporting goods or people.
8. Waifs: Homeless or abandoned people, especially children.
9. Wails: Loud, high-pitched cries expressing grief or pain.
10. Waist: The part of the human body between the ribs and the hips.
11. Waits: Periods of time during which one remains in expectation or does nothing until something happens.
12. Waive: To voluntarily relinquish or give up a right or claim.
13. Wakes: Vigils held for the deceased; also refers to the trail left behind by a moving object in water.
14. Waled: Having raised marks on the skin, typically from a whip or a cane.
15. Wales: A country that is part of the United Kingdom.
16. Walks: Movements of walking on foot.
17. Walls: Structures that enclose or divide spaces.
18. Waltz: A type of ballroom dance in triple time, or the music for it.
19. Wands: Thin, flexible rods or sticks, often used as magical or ceremonial tools.
20. Waned: Decreased in size, extent, or degree, typically of the moon after the full moon.
21. Wanes: Periods during which something decreases in size, strength, or number.
22. Wants: Desires or needs for something.
23. Wards: Divisions or areas in a hospital or a person under the care of a guardian.
24. Wares: Goods or merchandise for sale.
25. Warms: Makes something or someone warm or comfortable.
26. Warns: Gives notice of possible danger or harm.
27. Warps: Twists or distorts the shape of something, often due to heat or moisture.
28. Warts: Small, hard, benign growths on the skin caused by a virus.
29. Wasps: Insects with slender bodies and a sting, often considered pests.
30. Watch: A small timepiece worn on the wrist; also refers to the act of observing something carefully.
31. Water: A colorless, transparent liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain.
32. Watts: Units of power in the International System of Units, equivalent to one joule per second.
33. Waved: Moved one’s hand back and forth as a greeting or signal.
34. Waver: To hesitate or be indecisive; also to move back and forth unsteadily.
35. Waves: Movements of the surface of the sea or another body of water; also gestures made by moving one’s hand back and forth.
36. Waxed: Coated or treated with wax; also refers to increased intensity or strength.
37. Waxen: Having a smooth, pale, or shiny appearance, like wax.
38. Waxes: Substances used for polishing or creating a protective coating; also refers to phases of the moon as it becomes fuller.
39. Weald: A forest or area of woodland, particularly in Southern England.
40. Weals: Red, swollen marks left on flesh by a blow or pressure.
41. Weans: Accustoms a baby or young animal to food other than its mother’s milk.
42. Wears: Puts on and carries clothing, accessories, or makeup on the body.
43. Weary: Feeling or showing tiredness, especially as a result of excessive exertion or lack of sleep.
44. Weave: To form fabric by interlacing threads; also refers to moving in a winding or zigzag course.
45. Webby: Having a structure like a web or made up of webs.
46. Wedge: A piece of wood, metal, or some other material with a pointed edge used to split, lift, or tighten things.
47. Weeds: Wild plants growing where they are not wanted and competing with cultivated plants.
48. Weedy: Having an abundance of weeds or appearing weak and thin.
49. Weeks: Periods of seven days.
50. Weeps: Sheds tears or expresses sorrow by crying.
51. Weigh: To measure the heaviness or mass of something.
52. Weird: Unusual or strange in an unsettling way.
53. Welds: Joins metal parts together by heating them until they melt and fuse.
54. Wells: Sources of water that spring from the ground; also refer to upward surges of emotion or feelings.
55. Welly: A colloquial term for a Wellington boot, a type of waterproof boot.
56. Welsh: Relating to Wales, its people, or their language.
57. Welts: Raised, red marks on the skin caused by a blow or pressure.
58. Wench: A young woman or girl, sometimes used pejoratively.
59. Wends: To go in a specified direction, typically slowly or by an indirect route.
60. Wetly: In a way that is damp or covered with liquid.
61. Whack: To strike forcefully with a sharp blow.
62. Whale: A large marine mammal known for its size and intelligence.
63. Whams: Loud, sudden noises or blows.
64. Wharf: A structure built on the shore of a harbor where ships can dock to load or unload cargo.
65. What’s: A contraction of ‘what is’ or ‘what has.’
66. Wheal: A raised, itchy area of skin, often caused by an allergic reaction.
67. Wheat: A cereal plant that produces grains used to make flour.
68. Wheel: A circular object that revolves on an axle and forms part of a machine, such as a vehicle.
69. Whelk: A type of sea snail with a spiral shell, often found in European waters.
70. Whelm: To submerge or engulf something completely.
71. Whelp: A young offspring of a mammal, especially a dog or wolf.
72. Where: In or to what place or position.
73. Whets: Sharpen the blade of a tool or weapon; also stimulates an appetite or desire.
74. Which: Asking for information specifying one or more people or things from a definite set.
75. Whiff: A slight smell carried by the air.
76. While: A period of time.
77. Whims: Sudden desires or changes of mind, especially ones that are unusual or unexplained.
78. Whine: To make a high-pitched, complaining noise.
79. Whiny: Inclined to complain or fret in a high-pitched, annoying tone.
80. Whips: Strikes with a thin, flexible instrument or strips, typically as a form of punishment or to move an animal forward.
81. Whirl: To move or cause to move rapidly around and around.
82. Whish: A soft, swishing sound made by something moving quickly through the air.
83. Whisk: A utensil for whipping food ingredients; also refers to moving something rapidly and lightly.
84. Whist: A card game, often played in silence, with tricks similar to bridge.
85. White: The color produced by the reflection of all visible rays of light; opposite of black.
86. Whits: Small amounts; also refers to the feast of Pentecost in Christianity.
87. Whizz: To move quickly through the air with a whistling or buzzing sound.
88. Whole: All of something; entire or complete.
89. Whomp: To hit or strike heavily or with a loud noise.
90. Whoop: A loud cry of excitement or joy.
91. Whore: A derogatory term for a prostitute or someone who engages in promiscuous behavior.
92. Whose: Belonging to or associated with which person.
93. Whoso: An old-fashioned or poetic word meaning whoever.
94. Wicks: Strings or threads in a candle or lamp that draws up the fuel to the flame.
95. Widen: To make something wider or broader.
96. Wider: Having greater width than something else; broader.
97. Widow: A woman whose spouse has died and who has not remarried.
98. Width: The measurement of the extent of something from side to side.
99. Wield: To hold and use a weapon, tool, or power.
100. Wilds: Uninhabited or uncultivated regions; often referred to in the plural form.
101. Wiles: Devious or cunning strategies used to manipulate or trick someone.
102. Willy: A colloquial term for the penis; also refers to being crafty or sly.
103. Wilts: Becomes limp through heat, loss of water, or disease.
104. Wimps: People who are considered weak, cowardly, or lacking in confidence.
105. Wimpy: Lacking in strength or character; cowardly or weak.
106. Wince: To make a slight, involuntary grimace or shrinking movement out of pain or distress.
107. Winch: A machine for lifting or pulling heavy objects using a cable or chain wound around a drum.
108. Winds: Currents of air moving from one place to another; also refers to turning or twisting something.
109. Windy: Characterized by strong winds; also refers to someone who talks a lot without saying much of importance.
110. Wined: Consumed wine; refers to the past tense of drinking wine.
111. Wines: Fermented grape juice used as a beverage; also refers to various alcoholic beverages made from other fruits or plants.
112. Wings: Limbs or appendages used for flying, typically found on birds, bats, and insects.
113. Winks: Quick, voluntary closing and opening of one eye as a signal or indication.
114. Winny: A playful variation of the name ‘Winnie’; also refers to the neigh of a horse.
115. Winos: People who are habitually drunk, especially those who are addicted to wine.
116. Wiped: Cleaned or dried by rubbing with a cloth or one’s hand; also refers to erasing or removing something.
117. Wiper: A device that removes rain, snow, or dirt from the windshield of a vehicle.
118. Wipes: Pieces of soft, disposable cloth used for cleaning or sanitizing.
119. Wired: Equipped with wires for electrical connections; also refers to being tense or nervous.
120. Wires: Thin, flexible strands of metal used to conduct electricity or transmit signals.
121. Wiser: Having or showing experience, knowledge, and good judgment.
122. Wisps: Thin, small, and delicate pieces or strands of something, like hair or smoke.
123. Wispy: Thin and weak; often used to describe hair or smoke.
124. Witch: A person, often a woman, believed to have magical powers, especially in folklore.
125. Witty: Showing quick and inventive verbal humor.
126. Wives: Married women, especially in relation to their spouses.
127. Wizard: A person, usually a man, who is believed to have magical powers.
128. Woads: Plants used to produce a blue dye in ancient times.
129. Wolly: Another spelling of woolly, meaning covered with wool or resembling wool.
130. Woken: Past participle of ‘wake’; having awoken from sleep.
131. Wolds: Hilly or upland areas, particularly in England.
132. Woman: An adult female human being.
133. Wombs: The organs in female mammals where offspring develop before birth.
134. Women: Plural form of woman; adult female human beings.
135. Wonks: People who take an excessive interest in the minor details of political policy or technical issues.
136. Wonky: Crooked, off-center, or askew; also refers to being unsteady or unreliable.
137. Wooed: Courted or sought affection from someone with the intention of marriage or romantic relationship.
138. Woofs: Low, barking sounds made by dogs.
139. Wools: Textiles made from the fleece of sheep or other animals.
140. Wooly: Covered with wool or resembling wool in texture.
141. Woops: Alternative spelling of ‘whoops,’ an exclamation of mild alarm or surprise.
142. Words: Units of language consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation.
143. Wordy: Using or containing too many words; verbose.
144. Works: Activities involving mental or physical effort done to achieve a result; also refers to creations like art or literature.
145. World: The earth and all its inhabitants; also refers to a particular domain or sphere of activity.
146. Worms: Creeping, elongated, soft-bodied animals, typically found in the soil.
147. Wormy: Infested with worms; also refers to something that resembles a worm in shape.
148. Worry: To feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.
149. Worse: Of poorer quality or a more unfavorable outcome.
150. Worst: Of the lowest quality or the most unfavorable outcome.
151. Worth: The value or merit of something or someone.
152. Would: Past tense of ‘will’; used to express a conditional or future action.
153. Wound: An injury to living tissue caused by a cut, blow, or other impact; also refers to the past tense of ‘wind.’
154. Woven: Made by interlacing threads, typically on a loom; also refers to something intertwined or connected.
155. Wowed: Impressed or amazed by something; expresses admiration.
156. Wrack: To cause extreme pain, suffering, or destruction.
157. Wraps: Covers or enfolds something, often to protect or conceal it.
158. Wrath: Extreme anger or rage.
159. Wreak: To cause or inflict (damage or harm).
160. Wreck: The remains of something that has been severely damaged or destroyed.
161. Wrens: Small, brown, perky birds known for their loud, trilling songs.
162. Wrest: To forcibly pull something from someone’s grasp.
163. Wring: To twist and squeeze something, often to extract liquid from it.
164. Wrist: The joint connecting the hand to the forearm.
165. Write: To form letters, words, or symbols on a surface, typically with a pen or pencil.
166. Writs: Formal written orders issued by a legal authority.
167. Wrong: Not correct or truthful; mistaken or unjust.
168. Wrote: Past tense of ‘write’; refers to having written something.
169. Wroth: Extremely angry or wrathful (archaic or literary usage).
170. Wrung: Past tense of ‘wring’; twisted or squeezed something tightly.
171. Wryly: In a dry, sarcastic, or mocking manner.
172. Wurst: A German word for sausage; often used to describe various types of sausages.
173. Warty: Covered with or resembling warts.
174. Washy: Lacking in color or strength; diluted or weak in quality.
175. Waste: To use or expend carelessly or without necessity.
176. Weeny: Tiny or very small.
177. Welch: To fail to honor a promise or agreement; also a variant spelling of Welsh.
178. Wight: A person of a specified kind, especially one regarded as unfortunate.
179. Wilco: A term used in radio communication meaning ‘will comply.’
180. Winey: Having the taste or aroma of wine; also spelled ‘winy.’
181. Wizen: To become or cause to become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled (especially from age).
182. Wodge: A large lump or chunk of something.
183. Wolfy: Resembling or characteristic of a wolf.
184. Womby: Having a womb-like quality; cozy or warm.
185. Woody: Covered with or resembling wood; also refers to a feeling of warmth and comfort.
186. Woozy: Dizzy, lightheaded, or unsteady.
187. Wacko: Someone who is regarded as crazy or eccentric.
188. Wanta: A colloquial or dialect form of ‘want to.’
189. Waqfs: Plural of waqf, an Islamic endowment of property to be held in trust for religious or charitable purposes.
190. Warez: Pirated or illegally distributed software.
191. Watry: An archaic spelling of ‘watery,’ meaning full of or covered with water.
192. Waxer: A person or device that applies wax; also used for waxing hair.
193. Wazoo: Slang term meaning anus; often used in phrases like ‘up the wazoo’ to mean excessively.
194. Wedgy: A colloquial term for the act of pulling someone’s underwear up sharply between their buttocks as a prank.
195. Weest: A Scottish term meaning smallest or least.
196. Wenny: Characterized by the presence of a wen or cyst.
197. Wests: Plural form of West; refers to western regions or directions.
198. Whamo: An exclamation used to indicate a sudden, unexpected event.
199. Whand: A Scottish dialect word meaning a rod or wand.
200. Whang: A loud, sharp sound; also a colloquial term for a blow or strike.
201. Whaps: Strikes something with a sharp blow.
202. Whear: An old or dialect form of ‘where.’
203. Wheep: A small, weak cry or chirp, especially from a bird or small animal.
204. Whens: Times or occasions in the past or future.
205. Whews: Exclamations of relief or surprise.
206. Wheys: The liquid part of milk that remains after the formation of curds.
207. Whids: Scottish dialect word for brief or fleeting conversations.
208. Whift: A short, sharp puff or blast of air or smoke.
209. Whigs: Members of a historical political party in Britain and the United States, advocating for reform.
210. Whilk: An old Scottish word meaning ‘which.’
211. Whity: A dialect or poetic word for white.
212. Whoas: Commands to make a horse stop or slow down.
213. Wholes: Plural form of whole; refers to entire or complete entities.
214. Whops: Hits or strikes with a loud noise.
215. Whorl: A pattern of spirals or concentric circles.
216. Whort: Another term for whortleberry, a type of wild berry.
217. Whump: A dull, heavy sound, often caused by something falling or striking a surface.
218. Whyda: A variant spelling of widow bird, known for the male’s long tail feathers.
219. Wicca: A modern pagan religious movement focused on witchcraft and nature worship.
220. Wifed: Taken or treated someone as a wife.
221. Wifes: A dialect or archaic spelling of wives.
222. Wifey: A colloquial term for a wife, often used affectionately.
223. Wifty: Silly or scatterbrained.
224. Wigan: A town in Greater Manchester, England; also a coarse fabric made from cotton or wool.
225. Wiggy: Quirky, eccentric, or strange.
226. Wiled: Deceived or tricked someone.
227. Wingy: Having wings or wing-like projections.
228. Winns: A variation or plural of win, often used in names or dialects.
229. Winze: A small vertical or inclined passageway in a mine.
230. Wirer: Someone who installs or repairs electrical wiring.
231. Wirra: An exclamation of sorrow or distress, used in Irish English.
232. Wisse: An old or dialect word meaning wise or knowledgeable.
233. Wists: Past tense of wist, an old word meaning knew or was aware of.
234. Witan: A council or assembly of wise men in Anglo-Saxon England.
235. Wited: Accused or blamed for something.
236. Wites: Blames or reproaches someone.
237. Withe: A flexible branch or twig used for tying or binding.
238. Withy: Made from withes; also refers to a willow tree or shrub.
239. Wived: Married a woman; took someone as a wife.
240. Wiver: An old or dialect word for a snake or dragon.
241. Wizes: Plural of wize, a dialect form of wise.
242. Woald: An old spelling of wold, meaning an upland area or rolling plain.
243. Wolfs: Plural of wolf; also refers to eating greedily or ravenously.
Conclusion
We’ve explored a wide range of words, from everyday terms to less common ones. This list can be a helpful tool for word games and expanding your vocabulary. Remember, knowing these words is just the beginning.
The real fun comes from using them in your daily life and games. Each word on our list has its own story and use. Some might become your new favorites, while others might spark your curiosity to learn more.
The English language is full of surprises, and these W words are just a small part.
We hope this list helps you in your word adventures. Keep exploring, learning, and, most importantly, having fun with words!
