This series is a follow-up to my post about two-letter Scrabble words. I remain of the conviction that one's short-word game in Scrabble (or Words With Friends or Bananagrams or whatever) is kind of like one's short game in golf. It's not glamorous, but it's what will win you games. It is your bread and butter.
The very first step to Scrabble mastery is to learn your two-letter words really, really well. After that, there are a couple of worthy ways to continue on the road to Scrabbly success. One good possible next step is to learn the "two-make-three" words. That is, three-letter words that can be formed from legal two-letter words already on the board. For example, if AD is on the board, you could front-hook it with LAD or CAD or DAD or whatever, or back-hook it with ADS or ADO or even ADZ. If you are a defensive player (like me), or if you play against a lot of defensive players, two-make-three words are of the utmost importance. And that's what this list is-- all the three-letter words that can be formed from two-letter words, starting in this post with two-letter stems beginning with the letters A-D. (This series will NOT end up being a complete list of all legal three-letter words; that would be a bit much. As it is, just this A-D two-make-three post is gonna be quite long.)
As with the previous list, I feel like definitions are necessary. That way you can say your hobby has at least a little bit of educational value. Just memorizing the words alone has no application outside of word games, y'know? The definitions also make it more fun. (I have strange ideas of what constitutes "fun").
Some words appear twice in the list because there's more than one way to get to them (i.e. more than one two-letter word that it can be made from.) For example, "LAD" could be formed by front-hooking AD on the board with an L from your hand, or back-hooking LA on the board with a D in your hand. Thus LAD appears under both LA and AD. Needless to say, the two-way two-make-three words are doubly important to know-- being roughly twice as likely to appear-- so them being listed twice is a feature, not a bug. ;)
The list is organized by the base two-letter words you'll be playing off of. The base two-letter word appears first, in larger type, followed by all the front-hooks in alphabetical order, then a little divider and all the back-hooks in alpha order. And, even though you should already know the two-letter words if you've read the previous post in this series, just for fun, brief definitions of the two-letter words are included here also.
The list is more oriented toward Scrabble than Words With Friends, but the words accepted by the two games are more than 95% the same, and I have tried to make note below of where their respective dictionaries diverge. In the few cases where OWL 2014 (the current official word list for competitive Scrabble) diverges from OSPD5 (the Official Scrabble Players' Dictionary, 5th edition), I've gone with the OPSD so as not to offend. (Usually the differences between OWL and OSPD are because the word in question may be considered offensive to some-- cuss words and racial slurs and such. The OWL allows such words; OSPD and WWF generally do not.)
SYMBOLS
* Word is new for Scrabble, as of OWL 2014 / OSPD5
† Word is NOT valid in Words With Friends (but is valid in Scrabble)
‡ Word is NOT valid in Scrabble, but IS valid in Words With Friends (not comprehensive)
(And of course, no symbol means the word should be fine to play in pretty much anything.)
---
AAH: variant spelling of "ah"
AAL: a kind of tree in India (also spelled "al")
AAS: plural of "aa" ('cause it totally makes sense to refer to lava in the plural)
DAB: as in, "dab on them haters" (or, for older generations, "a little dab'll do ya")
GAB: small talk, as in "the gift of gab"
JAB: a quick punch, literally or figuratively
KAB: about a quart; see 2 Kings 6:25
LAB: short for lah-BOR-ah-tory
NAB: slang for steal or kidnap
SAB: short for sabbath, as in, "Adventists be chillin' on the sab"
TAB: the key between caps-lock and ~ on your keyboard
WAB: Scottish for "web" (I promise I don't make these up)
---
ABA: variant spelling of "abaya" (which is also a valid word)
ABS: more common to see people refer to "abs", plural, than the singular "ab"
ABY: really old variant of "abide" (also spelled "abye")
CAD: old-timey slang for a scrub
DAD: short for crawdad or father (use context to distinguish)
FAD: like Pokemon Go
GAD: as in, "gad about" (British for "go around aimlessly")
HAD: don't have it any more
LAD: a strapping young man
MAD: angry and/or crazy
PAD: something soft to absorb the blow
RAD: 80s slang for "radical"; also a measure of radiation
SAD: not happy
TAD: not a lot
WAD: of chewing-gum
---
ADD: opposite of subtract
ADO: as in, "much ado about nothing"
ADS: more than one ad
ADZ: a woodworking tool, more commonly spelled "adze" (also valid)
GAE: Scottish for "go"
HAE: Scottish for "have"
KAE: Scottish for "jackdaw" (a kind of bird)
MAE: Scottish for "more"
NAE: Scottish for "no" or "not"
SAE: Scottish for "so"
TAE: Scottish for "to"
WAE: Scottish for "woe"
(Memorize this sentence: "Wae tae him who'd nae gae tae hae sae mae kaes.")
---
(no back-hooks for "ae")
DAG: a hanging loose end or shred (usually in reference to fabric)
GAG: a piece of fabric that keeps you from speaking, literally or figuratively
HAG: something you maybe shouldn't call your mom
JAG: many jags make something jagged
LAG: fall behind
MAG: magazine
NAG: something else you maybe shouldn't call your mom
RAG: a piece of fabric that's seen better days
SAG: lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground
TAG: like a price tag
WAG: like a dog's tail
ZAG: as in, "he zigged when he shoulda zagged"... ("zig" is also valid, but isn't a 2-makes-3)
---
AGA: Turkish loan-word for "general" (other Turkish words to try: oda, pasha, bey, fez)
AGE: how old it is
AGO: ...in a galaxy far, far away
AGS: agricultures (totally makes sense to speak of ags in the plural) †
BAH: interjection expressing contempt or impatience
DAH: spoken Morse code for "dash"
FAH: variant spelling of "fa" †*
HAH: variant spelling of "ha"
LAH: variant spelling of "la" †*
NAH: nah, bruh (note: "bruh" is not valid for some reason)
PAH: interjection expressing disgust or contempt
RAH: rah, rah, go team!
YAH: a sarcastic way to say "yeah"
---
AHA: eureka!
---
AID: help
AIL: in need of help
AIM: point something presumably dangerous
AIN: Scottish for "own"
AIR: the stuff you breathe
AIS: more than one ai
AIT: very old word for a small island
BAL: 'cause saying balmorals (a kind of boot) is too much work
CAL: 'cause saying "calorie" is too much work †*
DAL: lentil soup, also spelled "dhal" (valid), "dahl" (valid), or "daal" (NOT valid)
GAL: 'cause saying "girl" is too much workThe very first step to Scrabble mastery is to learn your two-letter words really, really well. After that, there are a couple of worthy ways to continue on the road to Scrabbly success. One good possible next step is to learn the "two-make-three" words. That is, three-letter words that can be formed from legal two-letter words already on the board. For example, if AD is on the board, you could front-hook it with LAD or CAD or DAD or whatever, or back-hook it with ADS or ADO or even ADZ. If you are a defensive player (like me), or if you play against a lot of defensive players, two-make-three words are of the utmost importance. And that's what this list is-- all the three-letter words that can be formed from two-letter words, starting in this post with two-letter stems beginning with the letters A-D. (This series will NOT end up being a complete list of all legal three-letter words; that would be a bit much. As it is, just this A-D two-make-three post is gonna be quite long.)
As with the previous list, I feel like definitions are necessary. That way you can say your hobby has at least a little bit of educational value. Just memorizing the words alone has no application outside of word games, y'know? The definitions also make it more fun. (I have strange ideas of what constitutes "fun").
Some words appear twice in the list because there's more than one way to get to them (i.e. more than one two-letter word that it can be made from.) For example, "LAD" could be formed by front-hooking AD on the board with an L from your hand, or back-hooking LA on the board with a D in your hand. Thus LAD appears under both LA and AD. Needless to say, the two-way two-make-three words are doubly important to know-- being roughly twice as likely to appear-- so them being listed twice is a feature, not a bug. ;)
The list is organized by the base two-letter words you'll be playing off of. The base two-letter word appears first, in larger type, followed by all the front-hooks in alphabetical order, then a little divider and all the back-hooks in alpha order. And, even though you should already know the two-letter words if you've read the previous post in this series, just for fun, brief definitions of the two-letter words are included here also.
The list is more oriented toward Scrabble than Words With Friends, but the words accepted by the two games are more than 95% the same, and I have tried to make note below of where their respective dictionaries diverge. In the few cases where OWL 2014 (the current official word list for competitive Scrabble) diverges from OSPD5 (the Official Scrabble Players' Dictionary, 5th edition), I've gone with the OPSD so as not to offend. (Usually the differences between OWL and OSPD are because the word in question may be considered offensive to some-- cuss words and racial slurs and such. The OWL allows such words; OSPD and WWF generally do not.)
SYMBOLS
* Word is new for Scrabble, as of OWL 2014 / OSPD5
† Word is NOT valid in Words With Friends (but is valid in Scrabble)
‡ Word is NOT valid in Scrabble, but IS valid in Words With Friends (not comprehensive)
(And of course, no symbol means the word should be fine to play in pretty much anything.)
Aa (chunky lava)
BAA: the sound a sheep makes---
AAH: variant spelling of "ah"
AAL: a kind of tree in India (also spelled "al")
AAS: plural of "aa" ('cause it totally makes sense to refer to lava in the plural)
Ab (an abdominal muscle)
CAB: like a taxiDAB: as in, "dab on them haters" (or, for older generations, "a little dab'll do ya")
GAB: small talk, as in "the gift of gab"
JAB: a quick punch, literally or figuratively
KAB: about a quart; see 2 Kings 6:25
LAB: short for lah-BOR-ah-tory
NAB: slang for steal or kidnap
SAB: short for sabbath, as in, "Adventists be chillin' on the sab"
TAB: the key between caps-lock and ~ on your keyboard
WAB: Scottish for "web" (I promise I don't make these up)
---
ABA: variant spelling of "abaya" (which is also a valid word)
ABS: more common to see people refer to "abs", plural, than the singular "ab"
ABY: really old variant of "abide" (also spelled "abye")
Ad (an advertisement)
BAD: not goodCAD: old-timey slang for a scrub
DAD: short for crawdad or father (use context to distinguish)
FAD: like Pokemon Go
GAD: as in, "gad about" (British for "go around aimlessly")
HAD: don't have it any more
LAD: a strapping young man
MAD: angry and/or crazy
PAD: something soft to absorb the blow
RAD: 80s slang for "radical"; also a measure of radiation
SAD: not happy
TAD: not a lot
WAD: of chewing-gum
---
ADD: opposite of subtract
ADO: as in, "much ado about nothing"
ADS: more than one ad
ADZ: a woodworking tool, more commonly spelled "adze" (also valid)
Ae (Scottish for "one")
BAE: Slangy, even-shorter form of "babe", itself short for "baby" (WWF only)‡GAE: Scottish for "go"
HAE: Scottish for "have"
KAE: Scottish for "jackdaw" (a kind of bird)
MAE: Scottish for "more"
NAE: Scottish for "no" or "not"
SAE: Scottish for "so"
TAE: Scottish for "to"
WAE: Scottish for "woe"
(Memorize this sentence: "Wae tae him who'd nae gae tae hae sae mae kaes.")
---
(no back-hooks for "ae")
Ag (short for agriculture)
BAG: a thing to hold other things in (often fabric)DAG: a hanging loose end or shred (usually in reference to fabric)
GAG: a piece of fabric that keeps you from speaking, literally or figuratively
HAG: something you maybe shouldn't call your mom
JAG: many jags make something jagged
LAG: fall behind
MAG: magazine
NAG: something else you maybe shouldn't call your mom
RAG: a piece of fabric that's seen better days
SAG: lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground
TAG: like a price tag
WAG: like a dog's tail
ZAG: as in, "he zigged when he shoulda zagged"... ("zig" is also valid, but isn't a 2-makes-3)
---
AGA: Turkish loan-word for "general" (other Turkish words to try: oda, pasha, bey, fez)
AGE: how old it is
AGO: ...in a galaxy far, far away
AGS: agricultures (totally makes sense to speak of ags in the plural) †
Ah (as in, "ah, my eyes!")
AAH: variant spelling of "ah"BAH: interjection expressing contempt or impatience
DAH: spoken Morse code for "dash"
FAH: variant spelling of "fa" †*
HAH: variant spelling of "ha"
LAH: variant spelling of "la" †*
NAH: nah, bruh (note: "bruh" is not valid for some reason)
PAH: interjection expressing disgust or contempt
RAH: rah, rah, go team!
YAH: a sarcastic way to say "yeah"
---
AHA: eureka!
Ai (old word for three-toed sloth)
RAI: Middle-Eastern pop music---
AID: help
AIL: in need of help
AIM: point something presumably dangerous
AIN: Scottish for "own"
AIR: the stuff you breathe
AIS: more than one ai
AIT: very old word for a small island
Al (variant spelling of "aal")
AAL: the preferred spelling (preferred by me anyway)BAL: 'cause saying balmorals (a kind of boot) is too much work
CAL: 'cause saying "calorie" is too much work †*
DAL: lentil soup, also spelled "dhal" (valid), "dahl" (valid), or "daal" (NOT valid)
PAL: 'cause saying "friend" is too much work
SAL: another kind of tree in India (completely different from the aal)
---
ALA: flat, wing-shaped part of a bone (plural is "alae", also valid)
ALB: a white priest robe ('cause saying tunica alba [both words also valid] is too much work)
ALE: a kind of beer
ALL: excluding none
ALP: alpine mountain (can be lowercase, so it's legal)
ALS: plural of the variant of "aals"
ALT: 'cause saying "alternative" is too much work
Am (conjugated form of "be")
BAM: kapow!CAM: a kind of machine-part (usually cylindrical)
DAM: a big wall that holds back the river
GAM: 1920s slang for "leg", as in "that dame's gams are the cat's pajamas"
HAM: goes good with green eggs
JAM: a spread with bread and ti
LAM: the dame with the gams is on the lam
MAM: British variant spelling of "mom" †*
NAM: variant spelling of naam (also valid), an obscure legal term
PAM: alleged slang for "pamphlet"
RAM: male sheep
TAM: a kind of hat ('cause saying "tam o'shanter" is too much work)
YAM: better known as "sweet potatoes"
---
AMA: a female pearl-diver (Japanese loan-word)
AMI: as in, "mon ami" (and "mon" is also valid; French loan-word)
AMP: amp it up!
AMU: atomic mass unit... usually written lowercase so it's allowed
An (one of two indefinite articles in English)
BAN: an official prohibitionCAN: of beans
FAN: of Bama
GAN: 'cause saying "began" was too much work in the 13th century (but is cool now, apparently)
MAN: a dude
NAN: variant spelling of "naan" (also valid), a kind of delicious flatbread in India
PAN: pots and pans
RAN: 'cause "runned" is not a word
SAN: sanatorium, as in "Crazy Joe got tossed in the san" †*
TAN: a pale imitation of brown
VAN: a pale imitation of a bus
WAN: a pale imitation of pale
---
ANA: a collection of a person's memorable sayings
AND: no ifs, ands, or buts (all valid)
ANE: Scottish for "one"
ANI: a peculiar-looking bird native to Central and South America
ANT: a bug that like picnics
ANY: the specifics are unimportant
Ar (the letter R)
BAR: a sideways poleCAR: the dominant species of Earth, according to some observers
EAR: those weird-looking things on the side of your head
FAR: a long-long way to run
GAR: a particularly ugly kind of fish
JAR: meesa name Jar-Jar Binks
LAR: a funny lookin' kind of gibbon
MAR: stain
OAR: what you propel a rowboat with
PAR: for the course
TAR: sticky stuff, possibly with dinosaurs in it
VAR: 'cause saying "variable" is too much work
WAR: War! Hurrgh! Good gar, y'all, what is it good for?
YAR: variant spelling of "yare" (also valid), describing a ship that moves lightly and responsively
---
ARB: 'cause saying "arbitrageur" (an investing term) is too much work
ARC: a curved line
ARE: 'cause "they is" isn't allowed
ARF: onomatopoeia for a dog's bark
ARK: a big boat like Noah had, or a gold-plated box like Moses had
ARM: the thing that holds up your hand
ARS: i.e., R's
ART: this post
As (as in, "as the deer pants for water...")
AAS: more than one "aa" ('cause it totally makes sense to refer to lava in the plural)BAS: more than one "ba"
DAS: more than one "da" †*
FAS: more than one "fa"
GAS: not solid or liquid (or any of the more exotic states of matter)
HAS: conjugated form of "have"
KAS: more than one "ka"
LAS: more than one "la"
MAS: more than one "ma"
PAS: more than one "pa"
RAS: a type of mutated cancer-gene, short for "rat sarcoma" (due to being discovered first in lab rats)
TAS: more than one "ta" (totally makes sense to speak of thank-yous in the plural)
VAS: a blood vessel (plural is "vasa", also valid)
WAS: ain't any more
---
ASH: what's left after it burned
ASK: request or inquire
ASP: a kind of snake and also a kind of caterpillar
ASS: before you complain, check out Exodus 20:17.
At (as in, "where you at?")
BAT: Bruce Wayne's spirit animalCAT: Selina Kyle's spirit animal
EAT: my fav thing to do
FAT: what doing my fav thing makes me
GAT: slang for a pistol (originally short for Gatling gun, now generally refers to pistols)
HAT: what you use your head to hold up
KAT: variant spelling of "qat"
LAT: 'cause saying "latissimus dorsii" (neither word considered valid) is too much work
MAT: a piece of fabric (or whatever) used as a covering (or whatever)
OAT: what oatmeal is made from
PAT: on the head
QAT: a plant with stimulant properties, popular in the Middle East and East Africa (Arabic loanword)
RAT: like a mouse, but scarier
SAT: 'cause "sitted" isn't a word
TAT: 'cause saying "tattoo" is too much work
VAT: a big tank
WAT: Scottish for "wet"
---
ATE: variant of "et" ;)
ATT: old-timey variant spelling of "at"
Aw (as in, "aw shucks")
CAW: the sound a daw makesDAW: short for jackdaw
HAW: a more full-throated laughing sound than haha or hehe (note: "hehe" is not a valid word)
JAW: holds your teeth in place
LAW: holds your society in place
MAW: like a monster's gaping maw
NAW: yet another slangy way to say "no"
PAW: an animal's foot
RAW: not cooked
SAW: "I see," said the blind man. So he picked up his shovel and saw.
TAW: variant spelling of "tav" (the Hebrew letter)
VAW: variant spelling of "vav" (the Hebrew letter)
WAW: another variant spelling of "vav" (the Hebrew letter)
YAW: used of a plane rotating left or right (as distinct from rolling left or right)
---
AWA: Scottish for "away"
AWE: amazement
AWL: a tool for punching holes
AWN: what awning does
Ax (as in, "ax me a question")
FAX: short for "facsimile machine"LAX: not diligent
MAX: 'cause saying "maximum" is too much work
PAX: the "kiss of peace", i.e. the ritual kissing of a picture of Jesus or a saint in old school churches
RAX: Scottish for "stretch" (related to the word "rack")
SAX: ...ophone
TAX: one of two things that are certain
WAX: malleable solid
ZAX: a slater's ax
---
AXE: variant of "ax", e.g. "axe me a question"
Ay (the letter A)
BAY: a big dent in the coastCAY: wannabe island
DAY: not night
FAY: a fairy, or (as an adjective) pertaining to fairies (note: the similar yet etymologically unrelated word "fey" is also valid)
GAY: no u
HAY: cut and dried long grass
JAY: the letter J, also a bird
KAY: the letter K
LAY: to place in a horizontal orientation
MAY: might
NAY: yet another variant of "no", this one old-timey and formal
PAY: to give money
RAY: of light
SAY: speak
WAY: the path, literally or figuratively
YAY: hooray
---
AYE: old-timey and formal variant of "yes"
AYS: A's
Ba (the eternal soul in Egyptian mythology)
ABA: variant spelling of "abaya"OBA: a form of address for a big-shot in West Africa (variant spelling "obba" is NOT valid)
---
BAA: the sound a sheep makes
BAD: not good
BAG: a thing to hold other things in
BAH: interjection expressing contempt or impatience
BAL: 'cause saying balmorals (a kind of boot) is too much work
BAM: pow!
BAN: an official prohibition
BAP: British slang for a soft bread roll
BAR: a horizontal pole
BAS: more than one ba
BAT: like they use in baseball
BAY: a big dent in the coast
Be (why you be trippin')
OBE: variant spelling of "obeah" (also a valid word), a kind of traditional African magic---
BED: what you lie on to go to sleep
BEE: lives in a hive, makes honey
BEG: plead
BEL: ten decibels in a bel (the bel being the original, now nearly forgotten, measure of loudness)
BEN: the back room of a two-room cottage
BET: a wager
BEY: Turkish loanword for a governor or other big-shot
Bi (a bisexual)
OBI: the sash for a kimono (Japanese loan-word)---
BIB: the height of baby fashion
BID: the buyer's offered price
BIG: not small
BIN: a big container
BIO: 'cause saying "biographical sketch" is too much work
BIS: more than one "bi"
BIT: a tiny amount
BIZ: 'cause saying "business" is too much work
Bo (variant spelling of "beau", meaning boyfriend)
(no non-offensive front hooks for "bo")---
BOA: a kind of large snake
BOB: for apples
BOD: 'cause saying "body" is too much work
BOG: a kind of swamp
BOO: what a ghost says
BOP: to strike playfully
BOS: more than one "bo"
BOT: 'cause saying "robot" is too much work
BOW: and arrows
BOX: a cardboard cube
BOY: a small dude
By (next to)
ABY: really old variant of "abide" (also spelled "abye")---
BYE: 'cause saying "goodbye" is too much work
BYS: by and by = two bys
Da ('cause saying "dad" is too much work)*
ODA: Turkish for "harem"---
DAB: as in, "dab on them haters" (or, for older generations, "a little dab'll do ya")
DAD: short for crawdad or father (use context to distinguish)
DAG: a hanging loose end or shred (usually in reference to fabric)
DAH: spoken Morse code for "dash"
DAK: delivery service by means of relays of horse-drawn carts and/or runners on foot (Indian loan-word)
DAL: lentil soup, also spelled "dhal" (valid), "dahl" (valid), or "daal" (NOT valid)
DAM: a big wall that holds back the river
DAN: your "rank" in karate, judo, shogi, etc. (Japanese loan-word) †
DAP: to skip lightly on the water †*
DAS: more than one da †*
DAW: a jackdaw
DAY: not night
De (from)
ODE: a kind of poem---
DEB: 'cause saying "debutante" is too much work
DEE: the letter D
DEL: mathematical slang for "delta"
DEN: an animal's lair
DEP: alleged slang for "departure" †*
DEV: 'cause saying "developer" is too much work
DEW: the morning's condensation on the grass
DEX: street name for "dextroamphetamine," a drug normally used to treat ADHD (also called "dexy" or "dexie", both also valid words)
DEY: another Turkish loan-word meaning "ruler"
Do (as in, "do re mi fa so la ti do")
ADO: as in, "much ado about nothing"UDO: an edible plant, related to ginseng
---
DOC: doctor or document (use context to distinguish)
DOE: a deer, a female deer
DOG: not a cat
DOH: what Homer Simpson says *
DOL: a unit of measurement for pain
DOM: an honorific title similar to "don" or "sir", e.g. Dom Pierre Perignon, inventor of champagne ("dom" was a title in his case, not his personal name)
DON: an honorific title that has been adopted by the mafia
DOR: a kind of beetle, also spelled "dorr" (also valid)
DOS: more than one "do" (in reference to do-re-mi notes)
DOT: like a period
DOW: Scottish for "thrive"
