Words Ending With ING — Scrabble Gerund Guide
The -ING suffix is the single most powerful ending in Scrabble. Three common tiles — I, N, and G — that together cost only 4 points but open the door to hundreds of valid words and dramatically boost your bingo potential. Whether you're chasing a 50-point bonus with a 7-letter play or squeezing a tight 4-letter word onto a crowded board, mastering -ING words is fundamental to competitive Scrabble.
4 pts
I+N+G tile cost
33 pts
JAZZING (highest)
50+
Bingo bonus
#1
Most common suffix
How the -ING Suffix Works in Scrabble
In Scrabble, the letters I, N, and G are among the most common tiles in the bag. The standard English-language set contains 9 I tiles, 6 N tiles, and 3 G tiles — giving you 18 chances to draw at least one of each. The individual tile values are modest: I scores 1 point, N scores 1 point, and G scores 2 points. Combined, the -ING ending adds just 4 points to any word's base score.
But the real value isn't in the points — it's in the combinatorial explosion. Almost every English verb can take the -ING suffix to form a present participle or gerund. This means once you hold I-N-G on your rack, you only need four complementary tiles to form a valid 7-letter bingo. That 50-point bonus transforms a 4-point suffix into the highest-value ending in the game.
Why -ING Is Bingo-Friendly
Competitive Scrabble players track which suffixes produce the most bingos. The -ING ending dominates this category by a wide margin. Analysis of tournament games shows that approximately one-third of all 7-letter bingos played end in -ING. The reason is simple mathematics — when three of your seven tiles form a common ending, you only need four tiles to complete the word, and thousands of valid combinations exist.
💡 Bingo Probability
Holding I-N-G on your rack gives you roughly a 30-35% chance of drawing into a bingo on your next turn (depending on remaining tiles). No other three-tile combination comes close to this probability. The -TION suffix requires four tiles, and -ED only two but produces fewer valid 7-letter words.
The secret to -ING bingos is that the remaining four tiles don't need to be special. Common consonants like T, R, S, L, and D combine with -ING to form hundreds of words: RESTING, LASTING, POSTING, LENDING, LISTING. Even a rack full of "ordinary" tiles becomes a bingo machine when three of them spell -ING.
Top High-Scoring -ING Words
While -ING words shine brightest as bingos, several shorter plays score exceptionally well thanks to premium letters. Here are the highest-value -ING words valid in SOWPODS.
| Word | Points | Letters | Key Tile |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAZZING | 33 | 7 | J(8) + Z+Z(20) |
| JACKING | 25 | 7 | J(8) + K(5) |
| JINXING | 22 | 7 | J(8) + X(8) |
| JOKING | 18 | 6 | J(8) + K(5) |
| FOXING | 17 | 6 | F(4) + X(8) |
| HEXING | 17 | 6 | H(4) + X(8) |
| WAXING | 17 | 6 | W(4) + X(8) |
| BOXING | 16 | 6 | B(3) + X(8) |
| TAXIING | 15 | 7 | X(8) + T(1) |
| KAYAKING | 20 | 8 | K(5) + Y(4) + K(5) |
Short -ING Words for Tight Spots
When the board is crowded and there's no room for a long play, these compact 4-letter -ING words let you score while keeping your rack balanced. Every one of these is valid in both SOWPODS and TWL.
ZING stands out here at 14 points for just 4 letters — that's 3.5 points per tile, which rivals many longer words. KING (9 pts) is another efficient play that hooks well: KINGS, KINGLY, KINGPIN. These short words also create excellent parallel play opportunities when placed alongside existing words on the board.
5-Letter -ING Words
Five-letter words ending in -ING give you a middle ground between compact plays and longer bingos. They use five tiles from your rack, keeping your leave manageable while scoring respectably.
🎯 High Scorers
AXING (13), OKING (10), EKING (10), AKING (10), THING (9), OWING (9), FLING (9), SWING (9), BRING (8), CLING (8)
♻️ Common & Reliable
BEING (8), DOING (7), GOING (7), USING (6), TYING (9), DYING (10), LYING (9), STING (6), SLING (6), WRING (9)
7-Letter Bingo -ING Words
These are the words that earn the coveted 50-point bingo bonus. Every one uses all 7 tiles from your rack. Memorising common patterns here is the fastest path to improving your tournament scores.
🏆 Most Playable Bingos
PLAYING (13+50), WALKING (15+50), READING (9+50), TALKING (12+50), LOOKING (12+50), WORKING (15+50), SITTING (8+50), GETTING (9+50)
💰 Higher Base Scores
JAZZING (33+50), JACKING (25+50), JINXING (22+50), KAYAKING (20+50), QUAKING (21+50), JUDGING (17+50), JOGGING (17+50), JUMPING (19+50)
💡 Bingo Maths
A standard bingo like PLAYING scores 13 base points + 50 bonus = 63 points. But a premium bingo like JAZZING scores 33 + 50 = 83 points before any board multipliers. Land that J or Z on a DLS/TLS and you're looking at 100+ points in a single turn.
Strategy: When to Hold vs Play ING Tiles
Knowing when to hold onto your I-N-G combination and when to break it up is one of the most nuanced decisions in Scrabble. Here's the framework competitive players use.
✓ Hold ING When
Your remaining 4 tiles are strong consonants (R, S, T, L, D). The board is open with bingo lanes available. It's early or mid-game with many tiles in the bag. You can play off 1-2 other tiles without breaking the -ING.
✗ Break ING When
The board is locked with no 7-letter openings. You're in the endgame (fewer than 7 tiles in the bag). Your remaining 4 tiles are duplicates or vowel-heavy. Your opponent leads by 50+ and you need immediate points over potential.
Rack Management with -ING
Smart rack management around the -ING suffix separates club players from casual ones. The key insight: treat I-N-G as a single unit when planning your rack leave.
🧩 Rack Management Steps
Identify the -ING combo early. As soon as you hold I, N, and G together, mentally set them aside as your suffix group. Your remaining tiles are your "stem" candidates.
Evaluate stem quality. Ideal stems have 1-2 common consonants and 1 vowel: REST+ING, PLAY+ING, WALK+ING. Stems with duplicate letters or 3+ vowels are weak.
Sacrifice for better leave. If no bingo exists, play 2-3 tiles while keeping I-N-G intact. The ideal leave is ING + one high-frequency consonant (R, S, T, or L).
Know when to abandon. If you've held -ING for two consecutive turns without finding a bingo, the opportunity cost is too high. Play through it and draw fresh tiles.
Advanced -ING Tips
Double -ING extensions: Words like SINGING, RINGING, BRINGING contain -ING twice. These are harder to spot but perfectly valid. STRINGING (10 letters) uses the -ING ending on a stem that already contains ING.
Hook existing words with -ING: If PLAY is on the board, you can extend it to PLAYING. If READ is there, READING. This technique scores points for the full word while only placing 3 tiles. It's especially powerful when the existing word crosses premium squares.
The TING hook pattern: Many words ending in T can take -ING to form words ending in -TING: LAST→LASTING, REST→RESTING, POST→POSTING. The T belongs to the stem, not the suffix, but the pattern is reliable for finding plays fast.
Blank tile as G: If you hold I, N, and a blank, designating the blank as G is often optimal. G is worth only 2 points (minimal loss from using a blank) and completing the -ING suffix unlocks bingo potential worth far more than 2 points.
Watch for SOWPODS-only -ING words: In international SOWPODS dictionaries, words like CHEFFING, BOFFING, SPRUIKING, and SKEEING are valid but won't fly in TWL tournaments. Always confirm your dictionary before playing unusual gerunds.
🔍 Try our free Scrabble Word Finder — instant results, no signup
Open Word Finder →🧠 Memorise These Words
Knowing -ING words and their base forms is one thing — recalling them instantly during a game is another. Use our free Memory WordBench to drill these words until they become second nature. Add any word from this list to your personal study deck, then test yourself with spaced repetition — the same technique tournament players use to memorise thousands of words.
🎯 Practice in Memory WordBench →Why This Matters for Your Game
The -ING suffix is responsible for roughly one-third of all competitive bingos. Recognising when to hold I-N-G as a unit and when to break it up directly affects your bingo rate and average game score. Players who master -ING rack management typically score 30-50 more points per game than those who treat these tiles individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I always hold I-N-G together on my rack?
Hold them if the board has open bingo lanes and your remaining tiles are strong consonants. Break the set if the board is locked or you're in the endgame with few tiles left.
Q: What's the highest-scoring -ING word without premium squares?
JAZZING scores 33 points base (J=8, A=1, Z=10, Z=10, I=1, N=1, G=2). With a bingo bonus that becomes 83 points from a single play.
Q: Can I extend existing words on the board by adding -ING?
Yes — hooking -ING onto words like PLAY, READ, or WALK is a powerful technique. You score the full extended word while only placing 3 tiles from your rack.
📚 Sources & References
- • SOWPODS International Dictionary (267,751 words), Collins + TWL combined
- • Tournament Word List (TWL06), NASPA Word List Committee
- • Collins Scrabble Words (CSW), HarperCollins Publishers
- • Tile distribution & values per Hasbro official Scrabble rules
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