Words ending in -ING

The -ING ending is one of the most reliable patterns in Words With Friends, and players who know how to use it well seem to find good plays constantly. Part of the appeal is that -ING words can hook onto existing board tiles in so many different directions — extending a word already in play, running parallel, or using a spare I, N, or G already sitting on the board. Once you know the -ING list, the board starts to look a lot more open.

What makes -ING so valuable from a strategy standpoint is the sheer range of lengths it covers. Short -ING words give you compact plays for tight spaces, while longer -ING formations let you bridge across bonus squares or cover difficult corners of the board. The ending also hooks naturally onto common short words: turning GO into GOING, RING into RINGING — these connections are easy to spot and fast to calculate during a turn.

Some -ING words that regularly catch players by surprise: JING, ZING, and BING are all valid and score well for their length. GING, LING, and KING are reliable threes that fit into narrow gaps. Moving up in length, AXING and FOXING give you ways to get the X or high-value consonants into -ING plays. QUIZ produces QUIZING, ZING produces ZINGING — layering a high-value tile into a familiar ending is a powerful technique.

Below is the complete list of -ING words valid in Words With Friends, grouped by length and each with a definition — your reference for every -ING play the board might offer.