Starting a word with the letter O is a smart move for any puzzle fan. Since ‘O’ is a very common vowel, it’s one of the best ways to figure out the “skeleton” of a Wordle answer or connect high-scoring consonants in Words With Friends . In this guide, we’ve put together a list of 5-letter words starting with O. To help you win your games, we’ve included the Words With Friends points as a small subscript next to each word.

Highest Scoring 5 Letter Words Starting With O
If you want to clear your rack and score big, you need to look for words that use tiles like X, J, and Z . Here are the three best 5-letter words starting with O for maximum points:
- OXBOW₁₈ – This is the champion of ‘O’ words. It uses the X (8 points) and the W (4 points) to reach a total of 18 points. It’s a great word for a river bend and a great way to bend the game in your favor!
- OBJET₁₇ – A perfect way to use the letter J . It’s worth 17 points and is recognized by almost all competitive word game dictionaries.
- OOZED₁₅ – If you are stuck with a Z , this common word is a literal lifesaver. It’s worth 15 points and helps you get rid of that high-value Z tile easily.
5 Letter Words List starting with O
| OXBOW₁₈ | OBJET₁₇ | OOJAH₁₆ | OUZEL₁₆ | OXLIP₁₆ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OOZED₁₅ | OUZOS₁₅ | OXIME₁₅ | OXIMS₁₅ | OZONE₁₅ |
| OOZES₁₄ | ORZOS₁₄ | OXEYE₁₄ | OAKUM₁₃ | OHMIC₁₃ |
| OOMPH₁₃ | OXIDE₁₃ | OXIDS₁₃ | OCCUR₁₂ | OCHRY₁₂ |
| OCKER₁₂ | OFFAL₁₂ | OFFED₁₂ | OGHAM₁₂ | OICKS₁₂ |
| OKAPI₁₂ | OKRUG₁₂ | OPIUM₁₂ | OXERS₁₂ | OXTER₁₂ |
| OCTYL₁₁ | OFFER₁₁ | OFFIE₁₁ | OGIVE₁₁ | OKAYS₁₁ |
| OKEHS₁₁ | OMBER₁₁ | OMBRE₁₁ | ONKUS₁₁ | OPEPE₁₁ |
| OPING₁₁ | OPTIC₁₁ | OSMIC₁₁ | OUPHE₁₁ | OUPHS₁₁ |
| OUTBY₁₁ | OVARY₁₁ | OVULE₁₁ | OWING₁₁ | OAKED₁₀ |
| OAKEN₁₀ | OBEAH₁₀ | OBEYS₁₀ | OCHER₁₀ | OCHES₁₀ |
| OCHRE₁₀ | OCULI₁₀ | ODDLY₁₀ | ODEUM₁₀ | ODIUM₁₀ |
| OGAMS₁₀ | OHING₁₀ | OINKS₁₀ | OLEUM₁₀ | OLIVE₁₀ |
| OLOGY₁₀ | OMEGA₁₀ | ONIUM₁₀ | OPAHS₁₀ | ORACH₁₀ |
| ORACY₁₀ | ORGIC₁₀ | OTAKU₁₀ | OUGHT₁₀ | OUNCE₁₀ |
| OVALS₁₀ | OVENS₁₀ | OVINE₁₀ | OVOID₁₀ | OVOLI₁₀ |
| OVOLO₁₀ | OWNED₁₀ | OAVES₉ | OBELI₉ | OBOLE₉ |
| OBOLI₉ | OBOLS₉ | OCEAN₉ | OCTAD₉ | OCTAL₉ |
| OCTAN₉ | ODYLE₉ | ODYLS₉ | OFTEN₉ | OGLED₉ |
| OKIES₉ | OKRAS₉ | OKTAS₉ | OLEIC₉ | OMENS₉ |
| ONCER₉ | ONTIC₉ | OPALS₉ | OPENS₉ | OPINE₉ |
| OPSIN₉ | OPTED₉ | ORBED₉ | ORCIN₉ | ORLOP₉ |
| ORPIN₉ | OSMOL₉ | OVATE₉ | OVERS₉ | OVERT₉ |
| OWLET₉ | OWNER₉ | OWSEN₉ | OBESE₈ | OBIAS₈ |
If you want to find out words starting with other letters, you can check our Master List of 5-Letter Words to find every word from A to Z!
Tips for Winning With “O” Words
- In Wordle: Try the “Double O” strategy. Many 5-letter words use two O’s to create common vowel sounds (like GLOOM₁₁ or OOZED₁₅ ). If you have a yellow O and can’t find its spot, try placing it twice to cover more possibilities.
- In Words With Friends: Watch for the OX start. The letter X is an 8-point tile, and ‘O’ is the easiest way to get it onto the board. Words like OXBOW₁₈ , OXIDE₁₃ , and OXTER₁₂ help you dump that X while grabbing a solid score.
- Vowel Loading: If your hand is full of consonants, starting with O words like ADIEU (if starting with A) or AUDIO₇ is a great way to find which vowels are in the puzzle early on.
So that’s it, peeps! I hope these “O” words help you round out your next game.