Useful fours!

My last post discussed some strategies for how to incorporate useful four-, five- and six-letter words into your game. Today, I've got a list of THE most useful fours to get you started.

IMPORTANT: In the last post, I discussed using "playability" as a way to prioritize medium-length words for study, and I mentioned that Zyzzyva gives you a way to search for and rank words by their playability. What I've found out since then is that the current version of (NASPA) Zyzzyva does NOT have accurate playability values, so unfortunately you can't use it for this purpose.

I do have access to sound playability values elsewhere, however, so I can fill in that gap here and there as we go. The words below are all very high-probability fours that are valid in TWL; below them is an additional set of words that are CSW-only, for those who play Collins. I've omitted words that are merely three-letter words with a plural S attached to the end. Some of these you'll already know well, of course, so I'd suggest focusing on the ones you're not used to yet. You can try memorizing these words, or anagramming them with study software or flashcards, or any mix of methods that you find helps you remember them.

What will also help you learn these words is the same advice I give for the threes: supplement your learning by playing lots of games, so you can get used to seeing these words played on a board and teach your brain to think of them as potential plays.



ABYE ADZE AEON AERO AGEE AGIO AGON AGUE AHOY AIDE
AJAR AJEE AKEE AMIA AMIE ANEW ANOA APEX AQUA AREA
AUTO AVID AVOW AWAY AWED AWEE AXED AXEL AXIS AYAH
AYIN AZON

BEAU BEEF BEVY BIDI BIOG BIZE BOXY

CIAO CINQ

DAGO DAVY DEFI DEFT DEXY DITZ DJIN DOJO DOUX

EAUX EAVE EEEW EIDE EMEU ENOW EPEE ERUV ETUI EXED
EXIT EXON EYEN

FADE FADO FANO FATE FAUX FAVA FAVE FAWN FAZE FEEB
FEME FEND FETE FEUD FIDO FIND FIVE FIXT FLEW FOAM
FOHN FOOD FOXY FRIZ FUJI FUTZ FUZE

GAWP GEEZ GIBE GIFT GOBO GOJI GOOF GREW GRIZ GYVE

HAAF HADJ HAJI HEWN HIDE HIVE HIYA HOAX HOOF HOVE
HOWE HOYA 

IBEX IDEA ILEX ILIA INIA IOTA IRID IWIS IXIA

JADE JAGG JAIL JAKE JANE JAPE JARL JATO JAVA JEAN
JEED JEEP JEER JEEZ JEFE JEHU JEON JEST JETE JEUX
JIAO JIBE JILT JINN JINX JIRD JIVE JIVY JOEY JOHN
JOIN JOLE JOLT JOTA JOWL JUBE JUDO JUGA JURA JUTE

KIVA KIWI KOJI

LIEU LIRI LOWE LUAU LUTZ

MAXI MEOU MEOW MINX MIXT MOUE

NAOI NEWB NEXT NIXE NOVA

OATY OBEY OBIA OBIT OBOE ODAH ODEA OFAY OGEE OHIA
OLEA OLEO OLIO OOZE OPAH OPEN OUZO OVUM OWED OXEN
OXID OYER OYEZ

PAUA PAVE PERV PFUI POOF POUF PREX PREZ PUTZ

QADI QAID QOPH QUAD QUAG QUAI QUAY QUEY QUID QUIN
QUIP QUIT QUIZ QUOD

RAIA RAJA RITZ ROUX

TAXA TAXI TEXT TITI TIVY TOEA TOFT TOYO TWIG TWIN
TWIT TZAR

UNAI UNAU UPON UVEA

VAGI VAMP VANG VATU VEEP VEGA VEND VENT VERB VETO
VEXT VIBE VIDE VIEW VIGA VINO VINY VITA VIVA VIVE
VLOG VOID VOLT VOTE VROW VUGG VUGH VULN

WADI WAGE WAIF WAUL WAUR WAVY WAXY WEEP WEFT WEND
WETA WIDE WIFE WINO WIPE WITE WIVE WOAD WOKE WOOD
WOOF WOVE WRIT

YAGE YAGI YEAH YEOW YETI YIPE YOGI YONI YOOF YOUR
YOWE YUGA YUTZ

ZANY ZARF ZEAL ZEBU ZEDA ZEIN ZERO ZEST ZETA ZINC
ZINE ZING ZITI ZOEA ZOIC ZONA ZONE ZOOM ZOON ZORI


***

Collins-only words:

ADAW# AIDA# AIGA# AINE# AITU# ALOO# ANOW# ATUA# AUNE#

BAFT# BAYE# BEGO# BENJ# BIGA# BOEP# BUFO#

DEFO# DERV# DEVO# DIVI# DIVO# DIXI# DOWF# DZHO#

EINE# ENEW# EOAN# EREV# ETHE# EUGE# EUOI# EVET# EVOE#

FAAN# FAIX# FEEN# FEHM# FENI# FENT# FIGO# FINI# FIQH#
FLOX# FOEN# FOID# FONE# FOUD#

GAJO# GOAF# GOBI# GOEY# GOWF# GRAV# GREX# GRRL#

HAUF# HIOI# HOUF# HUIA#

IDEE# IURE#

JAFA# JAGA# JANN# JARP# JEAT# JEDI# JEEL# JOBE# JONG#
JOUR# JURE# JUVE#

KAIE# KIEV# KUIA#

LANX# LAZO#

MIRV# MOAI# MOOI# MOWA# MOZE# MZEE#

OMOV# ONIE# OOSE# OUMA# OUPA# OUTA# OWER#

PAWA#

QUAT# QUEP# QUIM# QUOP#

RIVO# RIZA# ROJI# RONZ#

SAXE# SJOE# SWIZ#

TAVA# TAWA# TOEY# TREZ#

ULEX# URAO# UVAE#

VANT# VAPE# VAUT# VEGO# VEHM# VIAE# VILD# VINT# VIVO#
VIZY# VOIP# VRIL# VROT# VROU#

WAID# WAQF# WAWE# WEEM# WEMB# WENA# WEXE# WHIO# WICE#
WILI# WOAH# WOON# WOOT# WUDU#

YEVE# YGOE# YODE#

ZARI# ZATI# ZILA# ZITE# ZOBU# ZOOT# ZUPA#