The -ER ending is everywhere in English — it turns verbs into doers (bake → baker) and forms countless comparatives (low → lower). For word games, a confirmed -ER is one of the most valuable clues you can land.
Common five-letter -ER words
- BAKER, TIMER, LOVER, RIVER, COVER
- POWER, TOWER, LOWER, MIXER, BOXER
- OTHER, AFTER, UNDER, ELDER
- FIBER, CIDER, EAGER, SOBER
Two letters for the price of one
Confirming an E in slot four and an R in slot five effectively tells you the whole back half of the word. From there you only need to crack the first three letters.
Mind the look-alikes
Many -ER words differ by a single front letter: COVER, LOVER, ROVER, HOVER. When you're down to that family, pick a guess that tests several first letters at once instead of trying them one by one.
