You’re staring at that yellow square. It’s the third guess, and you know—absolutely know—it starts with "HE." But the brain just goes blank. It happens to everyone. Whether you are grinding through the New York Times daily puzzle or trying to crush a friend in Scrabble, five letter words starting with he are surprisingly tricky because they bridge the gap between super common pronouns and obscure chemical or nautical terms.
It’s not just about the game, though.
Words are tools.
If you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. If you only know "heart" and "heavy," you’re missing out on a massive vocabulary range that can actually change how you communicate or, more importantly, how you win.
Why "HE" is a Power Start in Word Games
Statistically, "H" isn't the most common starting letter in the English language (that honor usually goes to S or T), but when paired with "E," it becomes a powerhouse. The letter E is the most used vowel. Period. When you combine a breathy consonant like H with the most flexible vowel in the alphabet, you open up a playground of linguistic possibilities.
Think about the structure.
Many five letter words starting with he follow the consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel-consonant (CVCVC) pattern, which is the "gold standard" for English word structure. This makes them easy to remember but hard to narrow down when you’re looking at a blank grid.
You’ve got your basics. Heart. Heard. Heavy. These are the workhorses. But what happens when the "A" and "R" come back grey? That’s where the trouble starts. Most people get stuck because they keep trying to force-fit common vowels like "A" or "I" into the third spot.
The Common Traps and Heavy Hitters
Let’s look at the heavy hitters first. Heart is probably the most guessed word in this category. It’s got a great vowel distribution. Then you have heard, which is basically its brother. But honestly, if those don't work, you need to pivot fast.
Hello is a weird one for word games. Why? Because of the double L. Double letters are the bane of any Wordle player's existence. You spend three guesses trying to find that fifth letter, only to realize you already had it. It’s a classic trap.
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Then there is heavy. It’s a solid word, but that "Y" at the end can be elusive. People often forget that Y acts as a vowel in these five-letter structures. If you’ve ruled out A, E, I, and O, that Y is usually hiding right there at the end, laughing at you.
Getting Weird With It: The Obscure List
Sometimes the "normal" words just don't cut it. You need the weird stuff. The stuff that makes your opponent check the dictionary.
Take helve. Do you know what a helve is? It’s the handle of a tool, like an axe or a hammer. It’s a perfectly legal word in most competitive play, but almost nobody uses it. If you’re playing a game where "E" is a high-value placement, helve is a literal game-changer because of that double-E sandwiching the V.
And what about heist? It’s a great word for "I" and "S" placement. It feels modern, but it has deep roots. It’s punchy.
Then we have helix. That "X" is a point-generating machine in Scrabble. It’s also a common enough term in biology and geometry that most word lists include it. If you see a "HE" start and you have an X left on your rack, don't overthink it. Just drop the helix.
The Linguistic Science of HE Words
If we look at the linguistics, many of these words share Germanic roots. The "HE" prefix often relates to high things, hidden things, or the self.
Heath refers to open land. Heave refers to lifting. Even hedge—which uses that tricky "DGE" ending—is about a boundary. These aren't just random strings of letters; they are building blocks of Old English that have survived centuries of linguistic evolution.
Wait, did I mention heads? It's so simple we often overlook it. Plurals are sometimes excluded from certain word games (like the official Wordle solution list), but in Scrabble or Words with Friends, they are essential.
Breaking Down the Phonetics
The sound "He" can be soft, like in heron, or long, like in heave. This phonetic shift is why our brains sometimes struggle to jump from one word to another. When you say heavy, your brain is tuned to a short "E" sound. It becomes mentally difficult to then pivot to heist, where the "E" blends into a diphthong with the "I."
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To get better at word games, you have to decouple the sound from the spelling.
Stop saying the words in your head.
Start looking at them as blocks of code. "HE" + "???" + "?".
Strategy: How to Use These Words to Win
If you are playing a game like Wordle, your second and third guesses are the most critical. If you know the word starts with HE, your next goal isn't necessarily to find the whole word. It’s to eliminate as many other letters as possible.
Don't guess heavy if you already know there's no "A." That’s a wasted turn.
Instead, look for high-frequency letters. Hertz is a fantastic "burn" word. It tests the R, T, and that rare Z. Even if Z isn't in the final word, knowing it's not there helps you narrow down the possibilities.
A Quick Reference for Your Next Game
Here is a messy, non-alphabetical list of five letter words starting with he that you probably forgot existed:
- Hedge: Great for testing that "G" and "E" placement.
- Hilly: Double "L" and a "Y." Harder than it looks.
- Heres: The possessive or contraction form, though usually not in Wordle.
- Henna: A bit niche, but uses that double "N."
- Hecht: A bit of a deep cut, but it's a real word (a type of fish, specifically a pike).
- Heils: Use with caution, but it's in many dictionaries.
- Heave: Excellent for finding where the "V" is hiding.
- Heapy: Not common, but used to describe things piled high.
The Psychological Block
Why do we struggle with these? Usually, it's because our brains are "anchored."
If you think of heart, your brain stays in the "anatomy" or "emotion" sector. You might think of heads or heals next. You won't naturally jump to heavy or heist because they live in different conceptual "folders" in your mind.
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To break this, you need to practice "lateral searching."
Think of the third letter alphabetically.
HEA... (Heart, Heard, Heals)
HEB... (None common)
HEC... (Hecks, Hecht)
HED... (Hedge)
HEE... (Heels, Heeds)
This systematic approach is how pros do it. They don't wait for "inspiration" to strike. They just run the alphabet.
Final Tactics for HE Word Mastery
The next time you’re stuck on a word starting with HE, don’t just stare at the screen. Change your perspective.
First, check for the "A" or "I" in the third position. These are the most common companions for HE. If those fail, look for the double letters—hello, heels, henna, hilly.
If you’re still drawing a blank, it’s probably a word with a "Y" or a "V." Words like heavy or heave are the classic "late-stage" guesses that trip people up because we often ignore those consonants until we have no other choice.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Memorize the "V" and "X" options: Keep heave, helve, and helix in your back pocket. They are rare enough that most people don't guess them, but common enough to be in the dictionary.
- Practice the "Y" finish: Train yourself to look for heavy and hilly whenever the standard vowels fail.
- Run the CVCVC patterns: If you're stuck, literally go through the alphabet for the third letter: HEA, HEB, HEC, HED... you'll usually find the answer by the time you hit "L."
- Check for "DGE": The "edge" sound in hedge is a frequent ending that many players forget is an option for five-letter words.
- Use a solver only as a last resort: If you're practicing for competitive play, try to visualize the keyboard and "black out" the letters you've already used. This forces your brain to build new pathways instead of relying on old ones.
Mastering these specific five-letter combinations isn't just about winning a game; it's about sharpening your recall. The more you play with these structures, the faster your brain becomes at identifying patterns in all areas of life, not just on a digital grid. Keep practicing, and that "HE" start will go from a frustration to a guaranteed win.