What is the highest-scoring 9-letter word starting with D?

DIZZARDLY scores 32 points, the highest of the 2821 valid 9-letter words starting with D in the SOWPODS dictionary.

How many 9-letter words starting with D are there in Scrabble?

There are 2821 valid 9-letter words starting with D in the SOWPODS (international) dictionary.

How many points is the letter D worth in Scrabble?

D is worth 2 points on a standard Scrabble tile.

9 Letter Words Starting with D

Solver Quiz Anagram Rack WOTD 60s Magic Squares Wordrus

July 30, 2026 7 min read Word Finder

9-letter words starting with D: 2821 valid plays. D carries a modest 2-point value. The top scorer is DIZZARDLY (32 points). For context, the typical letter in this position gives you around 2054 words, so D comes in above that.

Why D at the Start Matters

💡 Tile Value

D's 2 points are a reasonable chunk of a 9-letter word's total score without being so rare that plays are hard to find.

Because you place the first letter, 9-letter words starting with D work well for parallel plays — starting a new word alongside one already on the board without touching it.

Notable Words

Highest scorer: DIZZARDLY is worth 32 points — D's 2 points plus the rest of the tiles in the word. It's the play to look for if you're building toward a big turn.

Worth memorising first: DIBENZOYL (24 points) is one of the lower scorers here, which usually means it's a more familiar word — a safer one to keep in your working vocabulary than the obscure high scorers.

How many options: 2821 valid 9-letter words starting with D exist in SOWPODS — well above the ~2054 typical for this slot, so this is a productive letter to search on.

Try This on the Board

🧩 Worked Example

Play DIZZARDLY through a Double Word Score square and it scores 64 points instead of 32 — worth chasing when you have the tiles and the board opens up that square.