Words Without Vowels: 121 Words, and 20 With No Y Either
Our dictionary has 121 words with no A, E, I, O or U. The longest everyday one is RHYTHMS (7 letters). If you also leave out Y, only 20 words remain, including CWM, CRWTH, NTH, PSST, SHH, HMM and TSKTSK.
Key facts
- 121 words have no A, E, I, O or U; 101 of them use Y as a vowel.
- Only 20 words have no vowel and no Y.
- The longest are seven letters: GLYCYLS, RHYTHMS and TSKTSKS.
- Common vowel-less words include MYTH, GYM, HYMN, LYMPH, CRYPT, PSYCH and RHYTHM.
Common words without vowels
BY, CRY, CRYPT, DRY, FLY, FRY, GYM, GYPSY, HM, HMM, HYMN, HYMNS, LYMPH, LYNCH, MM, MY, MYTH, MYTHS, PSYCH, RHYTHM, RHYTHMS, SHY, SKY, SPY, SYNC, SYNTH, THY, TRY, WHY.
The 20 words with no vowels and no Y
| Word | What it is |
|---|---|
| BRR, BRRR | a sound of shivering |
| CRWTH, CRWTHS | an ancient Welsh stringed instrument |
| CWM, CWMS | a bowl-shaped valley (from Welsh, where W is a vowel) |
| HM, HMM | sounds of thinking |
| MM | a sound of agreement or enjoyment |
| NTH | to the highest degree |
| PFFT, PHT, PHPHT | sounds of dismissal |
| PSST | a sound to attract attention |
| SH, SHH | a call for quiet |
| TSK, TSKS, TSKTSK, TSKTSKS | a sound of disapproval |
Why they matter in word games
A rack with no vowels is one of the most frustrating situations in a tile game. Knowing HM, MM, SH, BRR, NTH, PSST, SHH, TSK and the Y words lets you play instead of passing. CWM and CRWTH are classic expert words because the W acts as a vowel, as it does in Welsh.
See them all, with points, on our words without vowels list.
Sources
- Our own analysis of the ENABLE word list. Meanings adapted from WordNet 3.1 and standard dictionaries.
